


Lab AU

by AbsolutelyNothing, AllTimeMelanie, slashfanatic22



Category: Cobra Starship
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-11-14
Packaged: 2019-01-07 12:46:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 63,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12233133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbsolutelyNothing/pseuds/AbsolutelyNothing, https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllTimeMelanie/pseuds/AllTimeMelanie, https://archiveofourown.org/users/slashfanatic22/pseuds/slashfanatic22
Summary: This is 100% written by absolutelynothing and slashfanatic22 on tumblr at cobraclit.





	1. 1

okay basically what i’m thinking about is an au where most people are just ordinary (betas) but there’s a small percent of the population, like under 5% that’s designated as either alpha or omega and i’m assuming we all know how that works at this point so i’m going to skip the descriptions there 

and then of course, because there’s so few, and because of the differences between them and betas, alphas and omegas are considered to not be the same species, and they have lesser status, nearly or almost subhuman, and there’s very little legal laws surrounding them/protecting them and because they only present around ages 11-15 and before that they seem like betas, one thing science is really interested in studying is how these physiological changes occur blah blah blah i switched majors for a reason 

there’s some rather shady studies going on (not strictly illegal, but would probably be frowned upon bc there is resistance from equal rights groups and the studies often want to study children who are unpresented, which is, of course, a problem) about alphas and omegas and basically they find a lot of their subjects bc they’re poor and often homeless and they already know that puts them at a higher chance to be alphas and omegas (especially when they’ve been made homeless/poor/orphaned when other family members turned out to have alpha or omega designations) and most people who can afford it turn to the black market for scent blockers and suppressants and things like that to blend in as betas and it’s overall p dangerous

the au i’m thinking about specifically is one where gabe is an alpha and he’s hiding it, working in some lab complex as a janitor or an intern or something (i’m thinking he’s 19/20 and either in college and taking on the work to help pay tuition and/or he needs money and is taking on the extra work to help pay the bills) and he’s never had any access to the real lab studies (i think this lab is doing plenty of different studies and not all of them are shady) because he’s either cleaning or he’s doing data entry and paper filing and stuff 

but one night he’s at the building late for some reason, because he needed to finish something or he forgot something or he had to take a night janitorial shift to cover someone else’s hours and anyways the point is he’s there and he’s doing his job and then he hears noises and goes to investigate just in case bc he’s on the first floor and sometimes unauthorized people do try to come in and he sees someone at the vending machine and it’s not entirely odd bc tons of academics and researchers keep long hours and often work in the middle of the night and Gabe is going to write it off, but then the person turns and heads towards the basement stairs instead of the first floor labs or the upper floor stairs and that’s suspicious because Gabe knows for a fact there’s no labs in the basement and he’d been warned against going down there bc it’s supposedly unsafe and he knows he shouldn’t but he follows the person bc he’s curious about what’s actually in the basement and he slips through the rusty metal door before it has a chance to close behind the person and he follows them down a rusty staircase into a dingy hallway and the person passes the couple storage rooms and the boiler room and heads down to the end of the hallway and opens an unmarked door at the end and Gabe’s getting more suspicious all the time and he waits a few seconds and then turns the handle and it’s unlocked and he slides through and the doctor or whoever is entering a keycode at a console next to a door at the end of a small hallway and Gabe has to follow now, because what would you need keycode access to in the basement?

he’s now in an obviously new, brightly lit hallway, the fluorescence so bright Gabe has to squint and the person is briskly walking down the hall and the hall is lined with so many doors, with labels Gabe doesn’t understand, and there doesn’t seem to be anyone around except for this person and so he follows them at a distance and the guy pulls out a key card and swipes into a door marked “observation room” and Gabe can’t get in behind him so he instead investigates the rest of the area and all the doors are locked, most with a keycode or security card slot and the only one that readily opens is the bathroom and he can’t figure out what’s going on down there but he decides to return later and investigate and he’s sure he’s not supposed to know about it 

ooh! more please!

okay i have no idea how Gabe finally gets down into the locked rooms, but tbh he probably steals a key card or somehow manages to get a security code and and he’s not super interested in a lot of the rooms, because it’s all like DNA analysis or cryptically labelled microscope slides or pages of report about genetic stuff that goes way over Gabe’s head, but what he’s really interested in is the observation room, bc all the time’s he’s scouted this place out, the two doctors who seem to be in charge, a man and a woman, are going in there the most and talking about the subject’s responses to different stimuli and things and they always call their subject Nate and Gabe’s pretty sure it’s an acronym for something that Gabe still doesn’t quite get but he’s pretty sure they’re talking about something living and he needs to know, 

and when he unlocks that door, the first thing he sees is an enormous screen against one wall of the room, and there’s a whole bank of computers, but Gabe’s only looking at the giant screen because it shows a small white room, with a toilet and a small shower cubicle and a bed with a single blanket and pillow, and curled up on the bed is a child who can’t be more than 12 or 13 and when he manages to tear his horrified gaze away from the screen, he looks around and realizes one of the machines is reading out the kid’s vital signs and he steps back and bumps against one of the computers and the screen blinks on to display an observation log and Gabe’s reading through it feeling sicker and sicker, because it’s becoming clear that they’ve got a little omega child trapped down here and they’re just experimenting on him and there’s other cameras on other rooms, about five or six, but they’re all empty, and only the one holding room is occupied and then Gabe hears voices coming and has to hide and the two doctors come in, and Gabe ends up watching them through a crack in the partially opened doors of a supply closet 

and he watches as they discuss hormone levels and talk about approaching estrus, but Gabe doesn’t know what that means and when one doctor leaves to get a report, and the other disappears to feed the omega, Gabe runs out and back upstairs and he leans against the wall of the building and despite the sunshine, Gabe can’t stop shivering and he knows he has to get the omega out of there.

ngl I love au's like this. did you have any other ideas?

yeah, I do, because Gabe plots nonstop for like the next two days to get the kid out of there as soon as possible and he keeps spying on the doctors and he's noticed that they're always out of the lab by 2 am at the latest, so that's when he decides he's going to go in and his plan is basically bust the door open and grab the omega and run like hell to his car and then speed to his apartment and so he goes down to the lab at 2:30 am just to be safe and the lights are dim and he uses his stolen keycard to swipe into the observation room and he knows immediately that he's fucked up because both doctors are sitting in the room, watching the giant screen and taking notes and they both immediately swivel to face him and Gabe's like "oh...fuck" and they're all so shocked they just sort of freeze and there's this annoying electronic beeping sound and it's the machine measuring the omega's vitals and Gabe looks up at the screen with a jolt of horror because the omega is no longer in thin white clothes, but entirely naked and he's crying on the bed, which Gabe can hear through an audio feed and it's making something deep within him angry and protective and he's so stunned and the doctors are getting up and he tries to run, but he's so shocked he doesn't get far before one of them tackles him and that wakes him up and he tries to kick her away but then the other doctor grabs a syringe and injects him and within seconds he feels woozy and he manages to punch the guy in the face before he passes out and when he wakes up, his whole body aches and the lights are so bright he doesn't want to open his eyes, but there are voices talking excitedly about him being an alpha and that's when he realizes that he can actually smell himself and not just the nothingness of the scent blockers and he tries to fight, but he's too weak and the doctors are just leaning over him going "Oh, you're a perfect find. It's so difficult to capture fully grown alphas" and Gabe spits at them and is like "let the kid go. He has to be newly presented, keep me and let him go" and the one doctor laughs and goes "If you're so concerned about the omega, we can take you to him" and they haul him down a new hallway and then the woman is unlocking a door with her keycard and a rich sent billows out and they're pushing Gabe in and he falls to his knees and the heavy door clangs shut before he can try to make a break for it.

He's never smelled this particular scent before, but it's so intoxicating and he can hear the omega crying again, but much louder, and he blinks to try and clear the blurriness away and he sees that the omega's just a few feet from him, laying on the bed facing away from him and suddenly Gabe goes cold because he's never smelled this but he knows it, and the little omega is in heat.

yesyesyes and maybe just Gabe's scent is enough to calm Nate down and get him through his heat?  
Yes!! that's exactly what I was thinking like Gabe figures out pretty quickly that they only put him in here because they wanted to see how he'd react and he's pretty sure they want him to knot and Gave's like um fuck no because this omega is a kid and it's probably only like his first or second heat but he can't just leave Nate crying in pain because it's making him hurt all over and he'd also feel morally like a piece of shit and so he's like "hey...um, it's gonna be okay. You're uh-you're Nate. That's your name, right?" and Nate's crying sort of stops and he slowly turns over to look at Gabe with dark eyes that are swollen from crying and he just keeps scenting the air and Gabe can tell that Nate's so far gone he's working on pure instincts and probably has no idea what Gabe's saying to him at all and Gabe stays still and suddenly Nate slides off the bed and crawls over to Gabe and he's whimpering the whole time and he starts to paw helplessly at Gabe and Gabe knows his body is telling him to do, but Nate's not ready or prepared for anything like this at all and Gabe lets Nate clumsily reach out for him and touch his shoulders and his chest through the thin white clothing Gabe is now wearing, just like Nate was before, and then suddenly Nate whines and turns himself around and presents and Gabe just looks away and is like "Oh no, no, I can't do that, and I won't do that." and Nate starts to cry again and Gabe gets up on shaky legs and edges around Nate and he knows the first thing he has to do is cool Nate down so he tries to get Nate into the shower. 

Yes and he picks Nate up and tries to maneuver him into the shower and Nate just slumps against him, shivering and whimpering as he scents Gabe and he's not even scenting properly, just sort of nosing all along Gave's chest and collarbone and Gabe just tries to treat it as clinically as possible because he knows the doctors are watching him and he has to get Nate taken care of before he gets seriously sick and he gets Nate into the little shower cube and realizes he's either going to have to let his clothes get soaked or get undressed because Nate's not in any condition to wash himself or even hold himself up.

Maybe Gabe decides he'll take his clothes off because he has no idea if the doctors will even give him new ones, considering their attitudes towards Alphas, but when he tries to pull away from Nate to tug his clothes off, Nate whines and holds onto him tightly. "I know," Gabe says. "I know, I do, but I can't afford to get my clothes wet. If you can just sit down in the bottom of the shower-" He gently pries Nate's fingers loose from his sleeve and deposits him on the floor. Nate whines unhappily and gives him a heartbroken look.

"I know. I'm sorry!" Gabe says as he tugs off the white t-shirt, throwing it near Nate's bed. When he turns around, Nate's eyes are wide and dark, staring at Gabe's exposed skin with little arousal and a lot of fear. Gabe flushes, and shakes his head. He feels more self conscious than he ever has before, but he's never been in any situation quite like this one. He can't quite dull the knowledge that there are people watching their every move, and taking notes on it. "Don't worry,"" he says to Nate. "I won't try anything." Nate only whimpers, and Gabe sighs, pushing the loose pants down.

Thankfully, despite the smell of an omega in heat surrounding him, the whole situation has (mostly) kept Gabe from getting hard. Once he's nude, he kicks the pants out of the shower stall and slowly reaches over to turn the water on, Nate tracking his every move from the corner. The shower stall isn't very big, but there's enough space for them to stay separated by a good few inches. The water sprays down on them freezing cold, and Gabe flinches as Nate yelps. "Hey, it's okay. It will help, I promise!" Gabe says to the omega, but Nate still starts to cry again. Gabe's heart pangs and some deep protective urge starts to fill his chest, making it all tight. He inspects the small shelf built into the wall and finds a bar of soap and tiny hotel sample size bottles of shampoo and conditioner, which makes him snort despite everything. They must have to replace it just about every couple of days. The water has warmed up to lukewarm, and Gabe picks up the shampoo, gently kneeling down in front of Nate.

Nate whimpers, eyes still full of tears, and Gabe hushes him gently. "Shh, everything's going to be okay." He tries to calm down the young omega down, "I bet you feel really icky, right?" Nate doesn't answer him. Gabe leans forward, showing Nate the shampoo bottle in his hand. "I'm gonna wash you off. It'll make you feel better, I promise." Nate doesn't say anything, just watches Gabe with big eyes, so Gabe sighs. He unscrews the shampoo bottle, pouring some into his hand and lathering them up. He reaches out towards Nate, who's trembling slightly and tracking Gabe's movements with fearful eyes. Gabe keeps his movements slow and steady so he doesn't startle or frighten Nate anymore than he already is. Gabe touches his shoulder lightly and doesn't miss the way Nate flinches. "Shh" Gabe murmurs, "I'm just gonna get you all clean and hopefully get your temperature down so that you feel better and won't get sick" He tells the omega, though it's mostly like he's narrating to himself since Nate doesn't respond at all. He must be too scared to too under the influence of his heat to comprehend anything rationally. "I remember how intense my first rut was," He says gently to Nate, and then he remembers the people listening. He lowers his voice, though he doubts they can hear him over the water. "Actually, I hardly remember any of it, just the overwhelming urges. Everything smelled so strongly and everything rubbed and I ached and- well, you don't need to hear all of that." He moves his fingers up to Nate's hair, avoiding his neck just in case.

Nate tenses but lets Gabe work the shampoo into his hair. Gabe makes sure to keep his touches light, but the shampooing turns into a gentle head massage that has the omega relaxing against the tile. Gabe relaxes a little. The physical touch and the lukewarm water seem to be calming the omega down, and Nate whines unhappily when Gabe takes his hands away. "Shh, it's time to rinse," Gabe says. "I can play with your hair later." Gabe gets him to put his head under the cool spray and he hopes it will cool the omega down enough. He's not so sure about using the bar soap to wash Nate's body. The kid can't do it himself but he's already a scared mess that Gabe doesn't know if touching him more just to scrub him down will be helpful. Nate shakes his head and tries to tug away, obviously not liking it under the spray. Gabe moves forward a little and tips Nate's head back without thinking. Nate mewls and goes limp, leaving his throat exposed. 

Gabe winces. "At least it got you to relax" He muses. He finishes rinsing Nate's hair and then helps him sit up, Nate whining in confusion. "I know, I'm sorry," Gabe says guiltily. "I'm not going to claim you, and I didn't mean to do that." He looks up at the shelf with the bar soap. "You can wash yourself later when you're coherent," he decides. He helps Nate to his feet, the omega's legs shaking so hard that Gabe is surprised he can stand at all. He reaches for a towel, stark white like the rest of the cell, and goes about drying Nate off, letting Nate rest most of his weight against Gabe. Not that he weighs very much. He's a tiny little thing, several inches shorter than Gabe, and skinny. Too skinny. Gabe frowns in annoyance. They could at least feed him enough. He helps Nate over to the bed and goes to retrieve his clothes. Nate clutches the thin towel and whimpers. Gabe pulls on his pants quickly and goes over to Nate, gently pushing him back so he lies on the bed. "Try to relax. That's better than before right? Not so hot and gross feeling" Gabe says and Nate whimpers, moving closer to him. He sits up again but goes still when Gabe moves closer. He looks confused, and then spreads his legs partially, looking up at Gabe. Gabe only looks reflexively and then quickly averts his eyes, but it's enough. Nate's red and swollen, a clear indication he's been in heat for quite some time. Gabe growls instinctively, livid with the doctors for just letting this little omega suffer for their enjoyment. Nate tucks his head down and quickly turns over to present again, though he's shaking. Gabe turns away, feeling sick. It's not Nate's fault, he's just a baby omega acting on pure instinct, but the implications of being place in alongside Nate are pretty clear. They want him to, or at the very least expect him to, knot Nate. They're disgusting.

"Nate, please lay down," he says without looking at him. He spies Nate's discarded clothes next to the bed and bends down to pick them up. If he can just get Nate into some clothes...but the pants are soaked through and the shirt is wet from being wadded up with the soaked pants. Gabe sighs and drops them. He turns in surprise when Nate slides from the bed onto the floor, the little omega starting to cry softly. "Hey, hey, what's going on?" Gabe asks gently, and starts to kneel down, putting a hand on the mattress for support, only to snatch it away in disgust when the mattress is wet to the touch. "Jesus, you just let him suffer like this?" Gabe says angrily, looking up to where he knows the cameras are. He wasn't expecting a response but the lack of one still makes him growl. Nate whimpers from the floor and Gabe focuses back on him, kneeling down next to him. Nate shrinks back, and Gabe realizes his mistake. "I'm not growling at you," He tells Nate. "I'm angry at /them/." Nate gives him a fearful look and Gabe backs off a little. "We can fix the mattress, maybe," He says, half to himself, and stands up. "If we just flip it over..." He trails off as he lifts the edge of the mattress up. He can see now that the top of the mattress has an enormous wet patch covering nearly all of it, and he can smell that it's wet with more than slick. He suppresses another growl. Nate's heat incapacitated him, so it's not surprising he wouldn't get up, but the doctors lack of care is absolutely appalling. He flips the mattress over to the other side and runs his hand over it. "It's dry," He says in relief. The blanket and pillow are crumpled next to the bed and are mercifully dry. Gabe looks back down at Nate. "The bed's all nice and dry now. You could try and sleep off your heat if you want" He says, keeping his voice gentle, as if he was talking to a scared animal. Nate just whimpers and looks at him in fear. Gabe sighs. "I'll help you get up there if you need me to, just please, go to bed"

He pleads with the omega. Tears drip down Nate's cheeks and he stays still, tucked in the corner, and Gabe can /smell/ his distress. "Okay," He says softly. "Okay, I know." He reaches for the blanket. It's fairly thin, and shouldn't make the omega too warm. Gabe will just feel a lot better if Nate's covered. He kneels down slowly, keeping his posture loose and open and holds his arms out towards Nate, the blanket drapped between them. "Come here," He whispers. "Come on, Nate" Gabe coaxes gently and Nate slowly moves closer to him, watching Gabe intently the whole time. Gabe holds still and tries to look unthreatening. Nate comes towards him, and Gabe holds his breath when Nate crawls into his arms. Gabe wraps the blanket around him. "There you go," he says softly. Nate practically collapses against him, shaking and sniffling. Gabe rubs his back awkwardly trying to soothe the omega. "It's okay. You're going to be okay" He whispers to him. He gently stands and Nate mewls in surprise. "It's okay," Gabe tries to soothe him. "We're just going over to the bed, that's all." Nate squirms in his arms. Gabe hushes him gently. "I'm not going to do anything else, just put you in your bed" He says holding onto Nate's blanket tight so he doesn't squirm out of his arms. He sets Nate down on the bed and Nate immediately twists around to face him, wide eyed. Gabe steps back and holds up his hands. "See, nothing else." Nate cocks his head and then starts to whimper again. Gabe's heart breaks a little. "I know, okay? I know it's scary and it hurts but I can't help you" He says, racking his brain to try and think of anything he could try. 

Nate starts to get up off the bed and then falls back with a startled cry when his legs won't support him. Gabe rushes forward on instinct to catch him, but luckily Nate falls onto the mattress and not the floor. "None of that, okay? You're too weak to get up. There's nowhere for you to go, anyway." Nate blinks up at him and sniffles pitifully. He keeps moving his head, but his eyes stay locked on Gabe, and it takes Gabe a few moments to realize Nate's scenting, or at least trying to. Gabe blinks. Nate is still so young and has obviously never been in the presence of a Alpha before, that he's probably just figuring out that Gabe's scent can calm him down and settle some of the itch under his skin. It may not help much, but it's worth a try. Gabe slowly leans closer, trying to get Nate close to his neck so he can scent him properly. Nate stills and then shrinks back against the mattress and Gabe stops moving, too. He waits a few moments and Nate cautiously lifts his head again, still scenting and bring his face closer to Gabe. Gabe stays completely still as Nate scents around his face and then moves so he's scenting closer to his neck. Nate makes a little noise and nearly nuzzles into the junction of Gabe's neck, trying to get closer. Gabe shifts minutely and Nate whines, pushing his face harder into Gabe's neck. He's obviously figured out that's where Gabe's scent is coming from and he doesn't seem inclined at all to let him go. Gabe lets Nate scent for a few minutes, but his position is uncomfortable and his arms are getting tired. 

Gabe's arms start to shake a little under his weight and he sighs, pulling away from Nate to shake them out. Nate whines and tries to follow, but Gabe puts his hands up to stop him from trying to get up. "Okay, I know" He says to the omega, who's starting to tear up again, "I just-Can I be on the bed with you?" He asks, finally, "I won't touch you or anything, my arms are just getting sore" Nate cries quietly and tries to reach up for Gabe again, which Gabe takes as an answer. He sits down on the bed and then stretches out against the wall, laying down as far from Nate as he can in the small space. Nate squirms onto his side, clutching the blanket. He watches Gabe a moment and then moves closer, looking to scent again. Gabe stays still, watching Nate scoot closer and closer, until he's cuddled up against Gave's side, nose pressed against Gave's neck. His earlier fear has apparently been forgotten because now he's snuggling right up to Gabe, letting out happily little noises as he nuzzles Gabe's neck. Gabe shifts a little and Nate lets out a frustrated whine before he settles again. Gabe almost laughs. He really is like a baby omega and then he sobers again, because Nate probably /is/ a baby omega. 

He can't have been presented for more than a year, and probably less than that. In any case, Nate has no knowledge about himself or alphas at all. "Fuck them," he whispers so he doesn't upset Nate. Nate burrows further into his side and Gabe, again, gets and unmistakable urge to protect him. He carefully brings his hand up to pet over Nate's hair, remembering how the omega seemed to like it in the shower. Nate sighs happily and relaxes, letting Gabe pet him. Within minutes, his breathing has become deep and even, and Gabe keeps up his stroking, careful to avoid the tangles in Nate's damp hair. He has no idea how long the omega has been awake and miserable in heat, but the shower and Gabe's scent have obviously helped a lot. Nate's much too young for his body to actually take a full sized knot, even in heat. Gabe tenses as a wave of anger washes over him. They put him in here with a fucking child who probably couldn't take a knot even in heat, just to see what would happen. If it had been a different Alpha-Gabe shudders thinking about what could have happened. 

He plays with Nate's hair. "I'm gonna get you out of here" Gabe whispers to him. Nate shuffles into the crook of Gabe's neck. Gabe inspects the room as best he can without disturbing Nate, but there's not much to see. The room is fairly small, most of the space going to the bed and shower and toilet, and there's nothing to make the room comfortable. Everything is white, and stark, and impresses a clinical harshness. It's a jail cell. There's no way to tell what time it is, so Gabe has no idea how many hours have passed since he first came down here but they have to feed them sometime.


	2. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is 100% written by slashfanatic22 and absolutleynothing on tumblr at cobraclit

Did you have anything in mind for what happens when they do get fed?

Honestly I was thinking that Gabe means to stay awake and try to get out when someone does feed them but he ends up falling asleep for whatever reason, and he only wakes up after they've slid a tray of food in and Nate's still asleep but he's starting to squirm and he feels a little warmer but not too bad and Gabe is angry with himself for falling asleep but he knows Nate needs to eat and he should also probably wake Nate up before he wets the dry side of the mattress and he starts to sit up and disentangle himself from Nate and Nate starts to whimper in his sleep and wake up right away because he's unhappy and he seem more lucid but he still won't talk. 

Ooh yes and Gabe slips off the bed to get the food, ignoring the way Nate whines and reaches out for him. "You can't just cuddle with me all day" Gabe says, taking the tray that has oatmeal and pieces of fruit on it back to the bed. "You have to eat something" He tells the omega. Nate looks at the tray and wrinkles his nose. Gabe can't entirely blame him, especially since, for all he knows, this is what Nate gets fed for every meal but he knows how much his rut saps his energy and Nate's heat will be worse because he's younger. "Have you eaten anything since your heat started?" He asks, and Nate looks at him for a for a few moments before giving a minute shake of his head. 

Nate holds the blanket tight around himself and whines, shifting in discomfort. Gabe sighs and climbs back on the bed, careful not to spill anything. "Come on" He says, sitting with his back against the wall, "You can scent me and eat at the same time" He sets the tray aside, and after a moment's hesitation, Nate climbs into his lap with the blanket still tucked around him, he reminds Gabe of an infant. Nate snuggles right into Gabe's neck with a little sigh. "Okay, yeah" Gabe says as Nate settles, "Now, eat" He says and Nate just nuzzles into his neck happily. Gabe blinks and then reaches for the tray of food. "I'm gonna have to feed you, aren't I?" He says, mostly to himself. Nate's too busy scenting him to answer. He licks at Gabe's throat and Gabe startles, tightening his grip on the tray. "Hey, hey. You can't just eat my scent and call it a day," he reprimands gently. He tries to press a plastic water bottle into Nate's hand, which Nate entirely ignores. "Alright," Gabe says, fondly exasperated. He twists the cap off and nudges the bottle against Nate's cheek. "We'll have to bottle feed you, little puppy."

Nate huffs but turns his head slightly and parts his lips. Gabe bites his lip so he doesn't laugh and tips the water bottle up for Nate to drink. Nate takes a few sips and then whines, trying to turn back to scent Gabe again. Water splashes over them before Gabe catches it, and he very nearly snaps at Nate but he manages to contain himself and sets the water bottle back down. "Time to eat something," he says softly. He picks up the bowl of oatmeal and spoons some up, putting it next to Nate's mouth, but Nate just whines and nuzzles further into Gabe's neck. "Hey, you have to eat something" Gabe says firmly, pushing the spoon closer to Nate. Nate keeps his face hidden.

"Nate" Gabe growls and the omega's head shoots up, fear sparkling in his eyes at Gabe's voice. His eyes flick to the spoon and he opens his mouth. Gabe feeds him the spoonful and sighs."I'm sorry" He says as Nate chews, "I didn't mean to talk to you like that or scare you." Nate opens his mouth for another spoonful, and Gabe guiltily spoons it to him. "You could get seriously sick if you don't take care of yourself in heat, but I shouldn't have growled. I'm not angry with you." Nate lets his head fall onto Gabe's shoulder and opens his mouth again. Gabe feeds him another spoonful. Gabe manages to get most of the bowl of oatmeal and an entire bottle of water into Nate before Nate just falls asleep between spoonfuls with his head on Gabe's shoulder.

Gabe looks at the sleeping omega fondly before he sobers and takes a deep breath. He surveys the room again, eating some of the fruit absently as he tries to think of a way to get them out. Somebody will have to notice that he's missing. Gabe has zero idea how long he's actually been down here, but it has to have been at least a full work day and he was supposed to go out with friends tonight- they'll wonder why he was a no show but it might take them too long to realize Gabe is actually missing. He doesn't want to know what the plans are after Nate's heat, or if they'll try to force mating. 

Do you have any ideas on what they do with Nate and Gabe? Or even after Nate wakes up? 

Not really anything concrete but like I feel like they're forced to wait until Nate's heat is over and I literally have zero idea how they get out but I feel like Nate says his first words to Gabe after it's over and they're at least relatively safe. 

Okay! because I was thinking the doctors need to take samples and check Nate's vitals but they are afraid of Gabe being like the scary aggressive Alpha type. So, when they come in to get their stuff from Nate (and Gabe is all "what the fuck assholes?") They inject Gabe with a drug that makes him all sleepy and his movements sluggish. 

Ooh yes I like that a lot and when they come in, Gabe is immediately on the defensive and trying to get in a protective stance in front of Nate and they inject him fast and it hits him quickly and he just sinks onto the floor or the bed and Nate's whimpering and maybe tries to bite at one of the doctors when they try and tip his head back. 

Yes! They have to hold Nate down on the bed in order to get the samples from him and Gabe is just watching it happen in a daze, growling deep in his chest and trying to get up but the drugs is too powerful and Nate's crying because they hadn't bothered him for so long and then he had Gabe to protect him and make him feel safe and Gabe's just trying to struggle to his feet or at least crawl bit his body is so heavy that all he can do is growl and they're just ignoring him.

The doctors finally manage to collect their samples and they let Nate up slowly. He just rolls onto his side and cries, watching as Gabe tries to move. The doctors file out of the room and Gabe tries to swipe at their ankles weakly but they ignore him and shut the heavy door behind them. Gabe growls one last time and struggles to raise himself up again. His arms wobble and then give out and he falls down with a grunt. Nate's cries are soft and tug at Gabe's heart, wanting to soothe and protect the little omega. "Nate," he says weakly. His legs won't cooperate; he doesn't have the strength to crawl over to the bed. "Come here."

Nate whimpers and slowly pushes himself up and slides off the bed and onto the floor. He shuffles over to where Gabe is, hovering all worried over him. "I-" Gabe pushes up again futilely, his arms refusing to support him. He looks at Nate. "I can't get up. I'm sorry." Nate whines looking scared for Gabe, and Gabe wishes the stupid drug would wear off so he could comfort the young omega. Nate sniffles and looks around the room before he grabs the blanket off the bed. He spreads it over Gabe and then carefully tucks it in around him. He settles down next to Gabe and gives him a wide eyed look. 

Gabe struggles, but manages to give Nate a small smile. "Thank you, you're a sweet kid." He says and Nate stares at him, giving a tiny nod, before he grabs a pillow. He puts the pillow next to Gabe's head and Gabe raises his head enough to rest it on the soft pillow. Nate watches him with big eyes before he lies down next to Gabe, resting his head on the other half of the pillow. Gabe's chest goes tight. Nate's looking at him so plaintively and Gabe just wants to protect him. "I'm gonna get you out of here," He whispers fiercely.

Nate just blinks at him and scoots a little closer, intent on scenting Gabe again. Gabe lets out a weak little laugh. "Go ahead" he says and then his smile fades as he sees the patch of red, irritated skin on Nate's neck. "Do they do that a lot?" Gabe asks him quietly, plan already forming in his head. Nate brings his fingers up to his neck and gives a pained whimper before he nods. Then he nuzzles into Gabe's neck. Gabe's heart aches and he wishes he could pull Nate close and hug him tight. "It's okay" He whispers, "It's gonna be okay."


	3. 3

Okay so do you have any ideas for how they get out then?

Yeah I was thinking that Gabe keeps track of when they get fed and when they come get samples from Nate and whenever the doctors come in he doesn't even react, so the doctors figure that he won't go all 'Alpha' because Nate is at the tail end of his heat or something and so they don't need a ton of people to restrain them both. It ends up being only two doctors coming in to inject Gabe with a mild sedative and take Nate's samples. So after like a week-ish, Gabe decides to stay docile as they inject him but once they move towards Nate, Gabe grabs the food tray and hits them over the head, knocking them both out, and he grabs Nate and books it out of the room. 

He's a little weak but he's mostly carrying Nate because Nate's tiny and he rushes through the lab and his heart is just rushing in his ears and Nate's clinging to him and the alarms are going off and Gabe knows security is probably chasing them but he just keeps running. He knows the upper levels of the building better than anyone there. Too many late night shifts where he would poke around after getting done cleaning is paying off in the most unexpected way. He knows the shortcuts and places to hide and catch his breath while he readjusts his grip on Nate.

Nate's terrified, trembling in Gabe's arms and whimpering under his breath when Gabe shifts him. They've got to get somewhere safe, but first they've got together out of the building and to Gabe's car. Gabe makes his way to the maintenance room near the back of the building. Even with the alarms going off, the hallways leading to the small room are empty like always, no one ever having a reason to come all the way back there. Gabe slips into the room and sets Nate down, striding over to the lockers. His stomach drops when he sees his lock isn't there. Panicked, he opens his locker, needing his backpack and keys and wallet, to find nothing. It's completely empty. They must have cleared it out when they saw Gabe's work ID. 

Gabe takes a couple deep breaths, trying to calm down and think. If they know he's a janitor, this is one of the places they'll check after their first sweep comes up empty. He and Nate don't have much time. Gabe starts to pace. He won't get far on foot, especially carrying Nate. A loud squeak interrupts his thoughts and he glances at Nate, who's peering in a desk drawer he opened. "Hey, we've gotta be quiet okay?"

He walks over to Nate. "You can look at stuff like this back at-" Gabe trails off, something shiny in the drawer catching his attention. It's a spare key. One for a supply closet somewhere but it has Gabe opening the other drawers quickly. He remembers having to make spares of all the keys in the building and, since it was on the lab's dime, he had made a spare of his car key. He knows it's gotta be there somewhere. He just /knows/.

He rifles through drawer after drawer, getting increasingly desperate and frustrated. He can't stop straining for the sounds of pursuit and it's putting him on edge. He yanks open the last desk drawer, and there, gleaming, is his spare car key. He snatches it up, and then turns to Nate. "Nate, I need you to hold onto this key for me, and don't let go of it, okay?" He presses the key into Nate's hand as he speaks.

Nate closes his fist around it and looks at Gabe, terrified. Gabe ruffles his hair. "You'll be fine" He tells him as he grabs a pen and scribbles a name and address on a piece of paper. "Put this in your pocket" He instructs Nate and walks over to the door to check the hallway. It's too quiet and sets Gabe's teeth on edge. They have to go now. Gabe walks back over. "Listen to me, Nate. If something happens to me, run as fast as you can out the door and keep running until you can hide." Nate lets out a confused whimper and Gabe hushes him gently. "After you're safe, find the address on that piece of paper. He's a good friend of mine who'll keep you safe" He says and at Nate's expression, Gabe gives him a rueful smile. "That's Plan B. Hopefully, you won't have to use it at all."

Nate raises his arms, reaching up for Gabe. Gabe swallows hard. "I can't move very fast when I carry you. I need you to run. Can you do that for me?" Nate hesitates, and then slowly lowers his arms. He straightens up and gives Gabe a determined nod. Gabe reaches out and squeezes his hand. "Good boy," he whispers and glances at the door. "We need to move now. It's way too quiet."

They move quickly and quietly. Gabe leads them through a couple of maintenance doors to avoid areas that might be watched. They make their way to the back door in no time and Gabe is just starting to relax when a loud "Hey!" comes from behind them followed by a bang and Gabe's heart leaps into his throat. "Run!" He tells Nate, ushering him toward the door. Nate looks at him in terror and Gabe shoulders the back door open, ducking when there's another bang, and with a hiss, a tranquilizer dart hits the door where Gabe's head just was. 

"Fuck!" Gabe says and slams the door, jumping down the stairs. "Run straight ahead. I'll tell you where to turn!" Gabe yells to Nate, who's already ahead of him. Gabe's feet pound the pavement, searching frantically for his car. An icy realization takes hold of him when he realizes they may have taken his car as well, but he tries to shake it off. He's always parked at the end of the lot, and his car is a piece of junk anyway. Behind him, there are angry shouts and he wonders, terrified and somewhat distantly, if they're still shooting. He rounds the end of a line of cars and relief washes over him to see his beaten up little car a few yards away.

"Nate!" He says and the young omega turns to him. Gabe points out his car and they make a break for it, running as fast as they can. "Key!" Gabe says and Nate throws it to him while running around to the driver's side. Gabe fumbles it slightly before he's able to put it in the door and turn. The lock clicks and he gets in, unlocking the door for Nate as he starts it up. He's backing out of the parking space as Nate is still shutting his door. "Buckle up" Gabe pants out. Nate yanks at the seatbelt, whimpering when it gets stuck, but Gabe's too busy backing up to spare him any attention. There are guards shouting, but they leap out of the way of the car. One guard raises a rifle and Gabe throws the car into drive, slamming on the gas and making the car lurch forward violently.

The jolt makes Nate bang his forearm against the dashboard hard and he whimpers. "Sorry sorry sorry" Gabe says, quickly, watching relieved as the man with the gun jumps out of the way instead of firing. Nate slumps back in the sear and reaches for the seatbelt again, getting it on this time. Gabe can hear a couple shots go off behind them and he speeds towards the back entrance. It's where big trucks for shipping/receiving come through so there's no gate. There is a guard, but she takes off in the other direction when she sees the car careening towards the back entrance. Gabe steps harder on the gas and speeds through it, jerking the wheel and taking a hairpin turn around the back of the lot. Nate keeps a death grip on the seat belt.

Gabe listens close for sirens, but there are none. He forces himself to relax and drive normally, blending into the evening rush hour traffic. His hands are shaking with adrenaline and he glances over to Nate who's trembling with fear and whimpering under his breath. His forearm is bleeding. Gabe swallows hard and focuses back on the road. It takes him a while to realize, but he's slowly getting closer to his own apartment, driving on autopilot. He glances at Nate again. Going back to the apartment is probably a stupid idea. They'll know his address, and they obviously have his keys. In fact, someone might have already been there, or could be waiting there now but he needs stuff from his apartment, and he wants to check Nate over, see how serious his forearm is and the car, he'll have to ditch the car.

Gabe looks over at the scared omega again and sighs. They both don't need anymore excitement today and he just needs to get Nate somewhere safe so he can figure out what to do next. Gabe pulls the car around and starts heading away from his apartment. After a little more than a half hour, Gabe pulls into a public park and parks the car, turning to Nate. "We're gonna go visit my friend, okay? Everything's going to be fine." He tries to reassure him. Nate huddles in the passenger seat and looks miserably at Gabe. He's trembling all over. It's not far," Gabe says. "Just a block or so from here. You can have something to eat and a shower and then you can go to sleep."

Nate just looks at him with huge, sad eyes."I know" Gabe says softly, "Just this last thing and you can relax." He says and his eyes flick to where Nate is still bleeding sluggishly. It's not a deep cut, but it's long and Gabe feels so bad for getting him hurt after everything he's already gone through. "I'm sorry about your arm" He whispers and Nate looks down at it, as if he forgot he was cut. "Come on, it's two blocks away" Gabe says and Nate sniffles before he nods. He pushes the door open and stumbles out of the car. Gabe checks the glove compartment and comes up with twenty dollars. Sighing, he moves on to check the backseat and trunk, but there's nothing useful. He locks the car and comes around to Nate. "Come on," He says, taking the hand of Nate's uninjured arm. "It's this way.


	4. 4

Nate grips his hand tight as they walk down the street. No one pays them any mind and Gabe is hit with the strange realization that they probably look like brothers, or maybe cousins, to anyone who glances at them. It makes him feel safer. They walk until they get to a tiny house, just a couple from the end of the road and Gabe leads them up the stairs of the front porch. He squeezes Nate's hand, giving him a reassuring smile, and knocks. After a few seconds, there’s the sound of fumbling, and then front door swings inwards. Nate takes an involuntary step back, and Gabe turns to reassure him just as a voice rings out “What the fuck, Gabe?” 

He looks back up into the face of a very angry Alex. "You disappear for like a week, you don't answer my calls or my texts, and then you randomly show up-" Alex starts to rant and Nate has Gabe's hand in a death grip. "I know," Gabe says quickly, "I'm sorry, I'll explain everything just- can we come in?" He asks, nodding his head towards Nate and Alex looks at him as if he hadn't seen the kid there. "I- Yeah" Alex says, stepping back to let them inside. Gabe has to tug Nate over the threshold and into the house. Nate skirts Alex nervously and squeaks when Alex shuts the door behind them. Gabe stops and turns to the omega. “It’s okay, Nate. We’re safe here. Alex is a friend.”

Nate glances nervously between them. Gabe starts to make introductions but Alex's eyes bug out of his head and he talks over him. "Jesus Gabe, you bring a scared kid to a stranger's house when he's all hurt and cut up?" Alex says, gesturing to Nate's arm, "What is wrong with you?" He says and walks down the hall to the bathroom. Gabe makes a frustrated sound and follows, urging Nate along too."For the record, I was in a life or death situation" Gabe says as Alex gets the first aid kit out.

"Oh, I’m sure,” Alex says and sets the first aid kit on the counter and opening it. Gabe nudges Nate in front of him into the bathroom, and Nate gives a terrified squeak when Alex reaches for his arm. “I’m just going to clean it up-holy shit,” Alex says, freezing. “This kid is an omega. In heat.” Alex is one of the only people who know Gabe is an Alpha. Gabe swallows. "Yes" He admits and Alex's eyes search his face. "What is going on?" Alex asks. “His heat’s nearly over,” Gabe says quickly. “And I can explain everything in a while. But Nate’s hurt and exhausted.” Alex gives him a hard look, but finally nods. “You’d better have a hell of an explanation for this,” he says, and turns back towards Nate, who shrinks back. Gabe makes a soft sound. “It’s okay, Nate. We can trust Alex. He’s like you and me.”

Nate looks at Alex with big eyes, his nose twitching involuntarily. Alex smiles. "I use scent blockers." He tells Nate conspiratorially, reaching back for a wet washcloth. "It helps me blend in" He says, dabbing at Nate's cut gently. Nate hisses but lets Alex clean and bandage the shallow cut. "It should heal up pretty quickly," Alex says, and Nate just yawns. Gabe looks over at Alex, who is packing up the first aid kit. "He can have the spare bedroom," Alex says. Gabe nods. "Thanks" He says and grabs Nate's hand again, "Come on, you need some rest, little omega" He says and leads Nate out of the bathroom and into the spare bedroom, stopping by the kitchen first to grab a couple snacks. He puts the snacks on the night stand and turns around to usher Nate into bed, but Nate's looking all around the room, fascinated by everything. He's looking around like he's never seen anything like it before, and Gabe realizes with a sickening pang that maybe Nate hasn't. "Hey Nate," he says, gently, touching the omega's shoulder. Nate tears his gaze away and looks at Gabe.

"I think you should get some sleep" Gabe tells him, "I promise I'll give you the grand tour later" He says, motioning for Nate to get in the bed. Nate crawls in the bed slowly, torn between looking at the big bed in fascination and looking warily at the doors and windows. Gabe waits until he's settled before he gives him a smile. "Sweet dreams" He says and moves to walk away but Nate whines and grabs onto his sleeve. "Hey, I'll just be in the living room. Me and Alex need to talk." Gabe says. Nate doesn't let go and Gabe sighs. "I'll leave the door wide open. You can come get me at any time, okay? But, you need to get some rest" Gabe tells him and Nate slowly releases his hold on him. Gabe smiles and ruffles his hair gently. "There's some food and water right there, but if you want dinner or to take a shower or anything, just come find me, okay?" Gabe says and Nate nods and then flexes his fingers in Gabe's shirt. "Thank you" Nate says so quietly that Gabe barely hears it. 

Gabe's chest goes warm and he hugs Nate tightly. "You're so welcome, Nate," He whispers ad presses a gentle kiss to the top of Nate's head before releasing him. Nate sits back reluctantly and lets Gabe tuck him in. "Goodnight, Nate," Gabe says, and Nate nuzzles into the pillow and closes his eyes. Gabe straightens up and makes his way out of the room, leaving the door open and flicking the closet light on in case Nate's scared of the dark. Alex is waiting for him in the living room, arms folded over his chest and a stony expression on his face."Explain." Alex says and Gabe puts his hands up in surrender, sitting down on the couch. "I will! You're not gonna believe me though." Gabe tells him. "Just try me," Alex says. "Because right now it seems like you disappeared for a week and returned with a baby omega in the tail end of his heat. It doesn't look good, Gabe."

"I-I know that." Gabe says, "And I promise, it's not like that" He says and Alex raises an eyebrow. "It's not!" Gabe insists. "Then tell me what is going on!" Alex says, frustrated. Gabe gives him a look. "That lab I was working at was keeping that kid locked up in a cell in a sub-basement. Had him under surveillance at all times. Would run tests on him and who knows what else" Gabe says, not breaking eye contact. Alex blinks at him. "They fucking what?" He asks softly, and Gabe goes on. "That's not the worst of it," he says grimly. "I followed one of the doctors down to the lab and that's how I found him. I planned on getting him out of there, and I did my best to time it. Stole a keycard and kept swiping in to figure out as much as I could, but when I went to rescue him, the doctors were down there. They caught means injected me with something to knock me out, and when I woke up, they tossed me in with Nate. He was in heat." Gabe pauses and takes a shaky breath, while Alex expression morphs into one of horror. "They...put you in with him? He's like twelve!" 

Gabe nods and he swallows. "They knew I was an Alpha. They wanted-/expected/ me to claim him, as if the thought of claiming a goddamn child wouldn't make me want to puke." Gabe says, ending in a growl, the anger from being trapped in the lab is finally starting to bubble up inside him now that he and Nate are safe. He starts to pace the living room in agitation. "Those absolutely disgusting scumbags.They kept him locked up in a cell, neglected him in his heat, and then threw in an adult alpha with the expectation that I'd claim him and they think /we're/ uncivilized. They couldn't even change his bedding. They injected me with sedatives every time they came in to collect samples from Nate. If I ever get my hands on those assholes, I swear to God-"

"Gabe" Alex says gently, "You have every right to be mad, I'm angry for you, but you're going to wake him up" Alex says nodding to the spare bedroom. Gabe stops shouting and begins to growl under his breath, still pacing. "They just-as soon as they found out I was an alpha, it's like I wasn't a person anymore. I was just a subject. A wild animal. And Nate! He's just a baby omega, he has to be newly presented, or at least almost and they treated him worse than me." Alex gives him a sympathetic look. "Poor kid" He says, glancing down the hall again before frowning. "Wait, if you were locked down there for a week, how did you get out?"

"I let them get complacent," Gabe says. "They would come in every few hours to feed us or take samples from Nate, and sometimes me. The first couple times, I tried to attack them, but it didn't do any good. They'd inject me with something that left me unable to move. I started to play dead, and let them think I'd given up, and they started injecting me with weaker stuff and sending less people in. This morning, they didn't inject me at all, and I smashed the tray of food over their heads and booked it. They'd taken my backpack, keys, wallet, everything. Luckily, I'd made a spare key and my car was still in the lot. We ditched it a few blocks from your place, because we couldn't risk it. I didn't want to take Nate to my place in case they were there, or had been there, but I'm going to go over now and get some of my stuff if it's still there."

Alex stares at him, dumbfounded. "This morning? As in /hours/ ago?" He asks and Gabe nods. Alex lets out a breath. "How are you still upright? You should be getting some rest too" He says but Gabe just shakes his head, rubbing his hand over his eyes. "No, I'm fine. I just needed to get Nate out and-" Gabe says, but Alex talks over him, putting a hand on his arm. "You can stay as long as you need to." He says. "But you're worn out. You need to eat and get some sleep before you go to your apartment." Gabe shakes his off. "Thank you, really, I'm really grateful for the hospitality, but I'm fine. I have to go now. The longer I wait, the more likely it is that they'll be there." Alex frowns. "What about Nate?" Gabe glances towards the spare bedroom. "I'll be back before he wakes up," he says.

"And what if he does?" Alex says, "What excuse am I supposed to give him that his Alpha up and left?" He asks and Alex snorts. "You could have fooled me." He says and Alex snorts. "Gabe, you should see the hero-worship in that kid's eyes. If he wakes up and you're not here, it'll crush him. He won't know what to do!" Alex protests. Gabe just glares at him. "I'm going" He says with an air of finality. Alex doesn't try to argue any further, just shakes his head. Gabe sighs. "If he really does wake up, just tell him the truth, and tell him I'll be back soon. I'm not abandoning him." "And what if those crazy people are at your apartment already? Then what do I do?" Alex asks and Gabe frowns. "You take care of Nate and then you make a daring plan to rescue me, of course" He says with a wink and Alex shakes his head and punches him in arm. "Just get back soon, you dick" He says. "Sure thing, Suarez" he says with a little salute, and heads for the front door. He'll take his car there and then catch the bus back, he decides. 

I can't decide whether people should be there or not. did you have any ideas? A part of me wants a fight scene or something but then another part wants him to be able to get in and out? or maybe he gets like his laptop and a couple other things before there's banging on his door and he has to go through his window and down the fire escape? 

Ooh yes like there's no one there when he gets there and he retrieves the spare key from his hiding place and lets himself in and it looks undisturbed but they have someone scoping the place out and they decide to send a team in and Gabe is going as fast as he can to get a duffel bag and he's putting his laptop and his emergency cash into it and then clothes and toiletries and his suppressants and scent blockers and he's just throwing the last couple things in when there are heavy footsteps in the hall and then a pounding on the door and luckily Gabe locked it after he came in just in case and he's nd he's like "fuck" as he slings the bag over his shoulder and heads for the window.

Yes! and Gabe is trying to get to the window as quietly as he can but then he hears a crash as they kick his door in and he breaks into a run. There are four guards who spread out quickly in the apartment, but only one sees Gabe, halfway out the window and onto the fire escape. The man follows him out, catching him by the back of the shirt and pulling, making Gabe stumble backwards. He throws his elbow back and manages to catch the man in the shoulder, sending him reeling back. Gabe scrambles forward again and the man shouts, catching hold of Gabe's bag. "Where's the omega?" The man yells, and Gabe snarls, ripping the bag from the man's grip. Gabe rushes down the metal stairs but the man catches up with him and pushes him hard into the railing, his arm braced against Gabe's back to keep him there as Gabe struggles. He tries to kick backwards but fails and the railing is cutting into his stomach right below his ribs. The man pinning him lets out a gruff laugh. 

"All you alphas are the same, you only want to fight and fuck" He spits out, "Must be why you want that little omega" He says and Gabe whirls around, growling as he punches him. The man's sneer collapses and he staggers to the side as blood pours from his nose. He wipes at it dazedly, and Gabe's already turning away, scooping his bag up and racing down the stairs again. No doubt the man's shouts have alerted the rest of them; he doesn't have much time. The man recovers and chases after Gabe, taking the stairs too fast. "Defensive of your territory, huh? We'll find your nest and raze it to the ground!" He shouts at Gabe.

Gabe ignores him and runs down the stairs faster and manages to reach the bottom. The man is tactical though, and goes for his legs, tripping Gabe and making him hit the ground hard. With the wind knocked out of him, Gabe pauses for a second to recover and it's enough for the man to catch up. He wrestles Gabe to the ground again and gets a few punches in before Gabe turns desperate. He blocks his face, trying to get his legs up, before kicking the guy in the chest and then the head, knocking him out. 

He pushes the man away and scrambles up, feeling sick. The man is still breathing, chest rising and falling steadily, and his colleagues won't be far behind. Gabe picks his bag up again and starts to walk away, ribs aching and jaw throbbing. His pants have torn in the left knee and blood stains the white fabric. His whole body feels like it's been bruised. He wipes at his face and grimaces when it comes away bloody. There's a shout and he looks up to see a figure leaning out the window of his apartment, looking at the body on the pavement. Gabe picks up speed. He has to get out of here. He'll lose them in the car and then ditch it and ride the bus back to Alex's neighborhood.

He does just that. A black SUV follows him for a while, but with enough turns and traffic he loses them. He parks his car on a side street and thunks his head on the steering wheel. He's exhausted and hurts all over. After a few minutes, he pulls himself up and gets out of the car, grabbing his bag. He taps the hood as a goodbye and takes a deep breath before he continues on his way. He stops at a fast food place to clean himself up a little first, ducking into the bathroom quickly. 

There's a shallow cut near his lip, and it's already stopped bleeding. A bruise is forming on his cheek, and Gabe knows it'll be a deep purple in a few hours. He's just lucky the man missed his eyes. He lifts his shirt up, now stained with blood and dirt, and inspects himself. He'll be bruised all over, but nothing feels broken. Relieved, he makes a painful bend to inspect his knee, and swears. There's gravel in the cut. He'll have to have Alex pick it out. He sighs and washes his face and body as best he can and then changes out of the dirty lab clothes, dumping them into the trashcan. 

Gabe straightens the new clothes and his hair as best he can before he makes his way out of the restaurant and towards the bus stop. Meanwhile, back at Alex's, Nate had woken up a few minutes ago and is sipping the water Gabe had left out for him. His stomach rumbles and he glances at the packaged snacks on the night stand. He wants real food though, so he pushes himself off the bed and pads towards the door. 

Nobody is in the living room, and Nate frowns. He glances back towards the bedroom, scared to venture too far, but his stomach growls insistently, and he wants Gabe, too. He stays away from the windows, eyeing them suspiciously, and peers around the corner into the kitchen. Alex is sitting at a small table wedged in one corner, alternating between glancing out the window and glancing at the clock. He looks nervous, and it puts Nate on edge.

Nate goes to back up and walk to the bedroom, but he accidentally knocks into a table and Alex is up and around the corner before Nate can blink. Nate is rooted to the spot and shaking with fear and Alex relaxes, giving Nate an awkward smile. "Sorry, I didn't know you were up. I didn't mean to scare you" He says and rubs the back of his neck. "If you're looking for Gabe, he'll be right back. He had to go get some stuff while you were asleep." 

Nate looks up at Alex sharply, and whimpers before he can help himself. Gabe had /said/ Nate could come and find him if he needed anything. He never mentioned anything about leaving. Alex looks at him sympathetically. "He's coming back. If you need anything, I'm here right now, though." Nate's breath catches in his throat and his lower lip begins to tremble and Alex's eyes go wide. "No, no, no! Hey" He says as gently as he can, "It's okay. He's coming back. Please don't cry." But Nate knows Alex is lying to him, because if everything was fine, Alex wouldn't have been sitting at the table carefully watching the outside and worriedly glancing at the clock. Tears well in his eyes. 

"Shit" Alex breathes and looks around, at a loss. He kneels down next to Nate. "Hey, I know you're worried about him. I'm a little worried about him too, but" He rushes to explain as tears drop onto Nate's cheeks, "Gabe is the most stubborn person I know and so when he says he's coming back here, he will." Alex tells him. Nate wants to believe that, but Alex doesn't know what the lab was like, what the doctors have done, and what they would do. He turns away and stumbles back towards the bedroom, suddenly desperate to hide. 

Gabe sits in the front of the bus, clutching his bag on his lap. There's quite a lot of people taking the bus, and every time the bus stops, Gabe tightens his grip on the bag, tensing up for a fight, half certain they've caught up with him. He can't stop playing the man's words over and over in his head. _You Alphas only like to fight and fuck. We'll raze your nest to the ground._ He doubts the man knows much, if anything, about what the actual doctors were doing, but he wonders what they think they found out. "Nate?" Alex calls, touching the door softly. He had gone after the young omega but wasn't fast enough to stop him from locking himself in the closet. "Come on, buddy, come out. I'll make you hot cocoa or something to eat and we can wait for Gabe to come back?" He offers but all he can hear is quiet crying and he curses Gabe in his mind. The truth is, Alex is worried sick about Gabe. Alex knows how far it is to Gabe's apartment, and how far back, and he should have been back at least two hours ago and that means something has gone very wrong. Were you thinking Gabe shows up? Or does something else delay him more? I think he just shows up, all the events that already happened just delayed him so much and by the time he drags himself up Alex's front steps he's so exhausted and aches everywhere and he just pounds on the door and Alex, who is still trying to coax Nate out of the closet, goes still and a chill of fear runs through him and Nate's gone deathly quiet and Alex whispers "Stay there" and then creeps out to see who it is. ooh yes! that's what I was thinking too! and Alex quietly makes his way to the door and looks through the peep hole before throwing it wide open, causing Gabe to stumble forward. "You look like shit" Alex says after regarding him a minute and Gabe gives him a half smile, dragging himself inside as Alex shuts the door. "Yeah, well, there were some- bumps in the road" Gabe snarks and Alex shakes his head. "I swear, I would punch you if you weren't already so messed up" Alex says angrily. Gabe gives a heavy sigh and drops his bag onto the floor. "They had someone staking out the apartment, and they sent a team in while I was inside. I climbed out the fire escape, but I got into an altercation with one of them, and he got me pretty good before I got him back." He winces. "You're gonna have to pick the gravel out of my knee." Alex just stares at him. "What?" Gabe says unable to keep the bite out of his voice. He's tired and he just wants to go to bed. He doesn't have time for Alex's attitude. Alex glares at him. "Nate woke up" He says and Gabe's stomach sinks, "He's locked himself in the closet, crying his eyes out" Alex says flatly. "Didn't you tell him I'd be back?" Gabe snaps. "I told you to tell him that so he wouldn't worry" Alex bristles. "He didn't believe me, and he's scared to death. You shouldn't have left him, Gabe." "And what was I supposed to do?!" Gabe shouts. "I don't know." Alex yells back, "Wait? Tell him? Take him with you? Anything that wasn't leaving an already terrified kid all alone!" He says. "He was safe with you! It was the only way I could go and have any peace of mind. And he wasn't alone; he had you!" Alex growls. "He needed _you_ , and you know that!" A quiet gasp has both Alphas turning to see a very distraught and shocked Nate, complete with tear streak stained cheeks, peering into the living room. All the anger melts out of Gabe. "I'm so sorry, Natey," he says softly. Guilt threatens to choke him at the obvious distress written all over Nate. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Alex throw him an incredulous look, but he ignores it, taking a halting step towards Nate. "I meant to be back before you woke up." Nate stares at him for a moment and then nearly tackles him as he hugs him around the waist, making Gabe grunt in pain. Nate loosens his arms a little, looking up at Gabe, still sniffling. "Hurt?" He asks in a tiny voice and Gabe ruffles his hair, trying to give him a smile. "I'm fine" He says and Nate blinks at him before he turns to Alex. "Hurt" He says again, pointing at Gabe. Alex sighs and nods. "You need first aid. And a shower. Let's get to it." He throws Gabe a look over Nate's head and Gabe knows Alex is only tabling the argument because of Nate. They walk to the bathroom, Nate gripping Gabe's hand tight the whole way. Alex gets the first aid kit back out from under the sink as Gabe sits down on the edge of the bathtub, smiling a little when Nate sits next to him. "Two times in one day is way too much for this kit" Alex says, glancing at the two of them as he unpacks the medical stuff on the counter. "I didn't mean to," Gabe says, and then seems to realize something. He squeezes Nate's hand and then lets go, pushing himself up. Nate whimpers and reaches for him, but Gabe shakes his head. "I have to take my pants off. Alex will never be able to clean the cut if I don't." Alex groans, and Gabe rolls his eyes. "I put on underwear when I stopped to change my clothes, stop bitching." He strips his pants off. "Jesus, Gabe" Alex says and Gabe frowns as he tosses his pants in the corner, looking down at himself. His knees are cut up and bleeding sluggishly and the sides of his thighs are marred with red and purple bruises. "I told you" Gabe says, sitting down gingerly, "bumps in the road" He says and Nate whines. "Hey, it's okay. I'm alright. Just a little banged up," Gabe says softly to Nate. Alex snorts and props one of Gabe's legs up on the toilet so he can examine it more closely. "A little." He says, putting air quotes around the word. He looks up at Nate. "You might want to send him out of here. It's going to get kinda nasty." Nate rests his chin on top of Gabe's shoulder and Gabe laughs. "I don't think he's leaving any time soon." He says and Alex rolls his eyes. "Fine. If he pukes from disgust, it had better be on you." He says. Nate wrinkles his nose, and Alex turns to get the isopropyl alcohol and a pair of tweezers. "You're lucky all you got is bruises and scraped knees," he comments as he turns back. "And that your cuts aren't very deep, because I hate giving stitches. I went to culinary school, not medical school." "And you weren't very good at first which is why you actually know how to do stitches" Gabe says, jerking and hissing at the end of his sentence as Alex pours the alcohol over his knee. "Stay still," Alex says briefly and picks up the tweezers. Nate whines and hides his face in Gabe's neck. Gabe grimaces as Alex starts to pull the bits of gravel from his cut. "Hey, Natey, do you know what culinary school is?" He asks, trying to distract himself. He can feel Alex's warning glare as Nate shakes his head. "It's a school that's all fancy and they teach you how to cook food that's really yummy" He says, panting a little, "You should have asked Alex to make you something. He's really good." Nate looks over at Alex in interest and then burrows closer to Gabe's side. "Maybe he'll make you something after this," Gabe whispers. "Him? Yes" Alex says, not even looking up from cleaning Gabe's wound, "You? Not so much." He says and Gabe makes an offended noise. "I'm your best friend!" Gabe protests and then jerks as Alex dabs at his cut with a cloth. "Shut up, Saporta" He says and Gabe can feel Nate's little huff of laughter against his neck. It makes him feel better than anything; he's never heard Nate laugh before. He turns his head and gently nuzzles the omega. "You're being mean to me, Alex," he complains, but he's grinning. "If we're best friends, you should be used to it by now." Alex says, smirking at Gabe as he reaches for a bandage. "Unbelievable," Gabe says. Alex bandages his knee, and then they have to repeat the process all over again with the other one. Gabe's starting to get stiff, and even more sore. Finally, Alex puts a bandage on the other knee and stands, stretching with a wince. "There, you're all sanitized and dressed. I'm going to let you take care of the rest." Gabe nods, and swings his leg carefully down off the toilet. "I've never been so desperate for a shower," he says, and turns to Nate, who's watching him with big eyes. "You go with Alex and eat something while I get cleaned up, okay?" Nate whines and Gabe smiles at him. "You can't stay in here while I shower" He tells him fondly, "Now go on, Alex will make you something good. I'm sure you're starving." Nate turns to look at Alex, who's just finishing up washing his hands. "I can make whatever you want, Nate. Mac and cheese, tacos, spaghetti, waffles-" Nate lights up at the mention of waffles, and Alex breaks off. "You want waffles?" He asks, and Nate nods. "Alright, lets leave this smelly Alpha to clean himself up while we eat" Alex says, throwing a smile at Nate. Nate slowly stands up and follows Alex out of the bathroom, looking back at Gabe, who nods and smiles at him. Once they're gone, Gabe shuts the door and finishes getting undressed before he steps into the shower. The warm water feels so good, and he washes slowly, exhaustion starting to way down on him. After the shower, he retrieves his bag and swaps his bloody jeans for pajama pants. He applies scent blockers on autopilot and then leaves the bathroom, heading for the kitchen. Gabe's stomach growls as the scent of homemade waffles and maple syrup hits him. Alex and Nate are eating, seated opposite each other at the kitchen table, a pile of waffles in between them. Gabe notices a third place setting next to Nate and he sits down. "I thought I wasn't allowed to have your cooking" Gabe says as he puts a couple waffles on his plate. Alex rolls his eyes. "Nate insisted." He says and Gabe glances down at the omega, only to find him frowning up at him. "He would've let me eat," Gabe says conspiratorially, leaning in towards Nate. "Yeah, well, that didn't stop him from trying to put three waffles on his plate at once," Alex says, but Gabe's only half listening. Nate's still frowning at him and without warning, he reaches for Gabe, pulls him down and presses his face into Gabe's neck. Alex stifles a laugh and Gabe blinks down at Nate confused. "Hey buddy, uh, what's up?" He asks and Nate just whines. He nuzzles Gabe intently and then nips at his neck, making Gabe startle and jerk back a little. "Hey, that's not nice!" he exclaims. Alex puts a hand over his mouth. "Gabe, I think he-you, uh, he doesn't like that you out on scent blockers." Nate gives a tiny growl. The sound makes Gabe look down at him in shock. Alex laughs. "That's adorable." He says. Gabe shoots him a look, but it doesn't wipe the grin off Alex's face. "I didn't even think about it. I just put them on out of habit," he says ad rubs Nate's shoulder. "Your heat's over, though. You don't need to scent me anymore." Nate pouts, sitting back in his chair. "They'll wear off after he goes to sleep" Alex tells him and Gabe just rolls his eyes. He sits down in the chair next to Nate and helps himself to the waffles. The first bite makes him realize just how hungry he is, and how he hasn't eaten anything since the day before. Gabe wolfs the waffles down, grabbing a couple more before he's even finished with his first few. Alex shakes his head. "You're gonna make yourself sick" He says Gabe waves him off. Nate still sucks in his chair. He stands up suddenly, pushing away from the table. Gabe looks up. "Whatcha doing, Natey?" he asks through a mouthful of waffle, and Nate looks at him for a moment before leaving the room. A few seconds later, they hear the bedroom door shut. Gabe stares, his mouth hanging open and full of half chewed waffle. Alex wrinkles his nose. "Nobody wants to see that." Gabe sticks his tongue out at him /before/ he swallows and looks towards the spare bedroom guiltily. "Do you think he's okay?" He says and Alex sighs. "Would you be okay?" He says and then continues, "I think the kid has had a rough day, rough years assuming that he's been trapped in a cell half his life, and now his brave alpha doesn't even smell like he should." Gabe blinks. "So you think he's mad at me?" Gabe asks. "I think he's a scared kid and your scent would have comforted him." Alex clarifies. "I wasn't even thinking," Gabe says softly. "He's never not been able to smell me, but his heat is over..." He trails off as Alex snorts. "His heat has nothing to do with it. He just wants to be comforted by his alpha's scent." The bedroom door opens and Gabe looks towards the doorway, but then another door shuts and they can faintly hear the shower turn on. "At least he hasn't locked himself in the closet again," Alex says. Gabe gives him a look. "That's not funny" He says and Alex shrugs. Gabe groans and puts his head in his hands. He can feel a headache growing behind his eyes. "Gabe" Alex says, "You did a good thing today, a fucking crazy thing, but a good thing. You probably saved that kid's life." "All I could think about was getting him to safety," Gabe says. "When I first saw him, curled up on a mattress in that jail cell, my heart broke." Alex nods. "I know that. And you saved him but now he needs you. He doesn't understand himself at all, and he's traumatized." Gabe massages his temples, but it does nothing to alleviate his oncoming headache. Alex looks at him sympathetically. "How many days has it been since you slept?" he asks softly. "For more than an hour," He adds when Gabe opens his mouth. Gabe slumps down. "Nate's whole heat, basically," he whispers. Alex makes a noise. "You need to get some sleep. Nate's safe now. Come on, I'll help you with folding out the couch." "But-" Gabe tries to protest but Alex shakes his head already getting up from the table and walking towards the living room. "No buts. You need sleep." Alex says. Gabe stands after a moment and starts to follow Alex, stumbling and catching himself against the table when his legs don't cooperate as well as they should be. He grimaces and goes into the living room more carefully. Alex has already gotten the couch unfolded and Gabe flops onto it, grateful. Alex snorts and Gabe can practically feel him roll his eyes before he throws a blanket over him. Gabe shifts on the bed, trying to get his aching body comfortable, his eyes already closed. "Alex?" He says. "Yeah?" Alex replies. "Thanks. For everything." Gabe says and there's a pause before Alex responds. "Yeah" and taps Gabe's leg before he makes his way back into the kitchen. Despite aching all over, Gabe drops off quickly, exhaustion finally overtaking him. Something pulls him from deep sleep, making him fight to become aware. There's something moving against him, making the couch creak in protest. Gabe's head swims and he just wants to sink back into the warm embrace of sleep. But then, through the hazy quagmire in his mind, a soft, sweet scent reaches him, and he fights hard to open his eyes. For a terrifying moment, they stay shut, and then he gets control of his body and slits his eyes open. It's dark, but there's enough moonlight streaming around the curtains that Gabe can make out Nate's body burrowed into his chest. Something warm and protective curls in his chest and his sleepy brain tries to process this. He should probably tell Nate to go back to bed, but he can barely keep his eyes open. Nate snuffles against his neck and Gabe gives up on any attempt to get Nate to move. Instead, he throws an arm around him, hugging him close. He feels Nate freeze, but he doesn't have time to do more than open his mouth to try and soothe the little omega before his eyes slide close and sleep pulls him under again.


	5. 5

do you have any ideas for what happens next?

I have a few scattered ideas, like in the morning Gabe wakes up to Nate still asleep curled up against him with his head shoved into Gabe's neck and Gabe can tell his scent blockers have worn off and he just gently strokes the baby omega's back and then looks up and sees Alex standing, watching them and he just shakes his head before walking away. Also Nate hardly talks and when he does, it's usually one or two words, and it's nearly always to Gabe. Also Nate starting his period and panicking because he doesn't know what it is so he screams and Alex and Gabe come running. 

Yes to all of that! and like with Nate's period, after Gabe and Alex run into the bathroom, they kinda freak out because there's blood on Nate's hands before Alex sees the blood in Nate's underwear and is awkwardly like "Um, Gabe how about you handle this" and Gabe's still in panic mode and hasn't quite figured out what's going on and Nate's still crying and Alex has already left and Gabe is frantoically checking Nate over but he can't find any wounds and then he sees the blood running down the insides of Nate's thighs and then he looks over and finally sees Nate's bloody underwear and he stands and gently puts his hands on Nate's shoulders and says "okay, okay. It's okay, Nate, there's nothing wrong" and Nate's just sniffling up at him. "Shh" Gabe hushes him gently and rubs his back, trying to figure out how to explain this to Nate. 

"Omega's bleed if they don't get pregnant during heat." He tries to explain in the simplest way. Nate's eyes widen in fear. "Pregnant?" he whispers and Gabe looks at him for a moment before sighing. "Let's, um, let's run a bath for you and I'll send Alex to get some stuff and then I'll tell you as much as I can, okay? But this is a normal thing for omegas. You're not hurt." Nate frowns and nods. "Hurts" He tells Gabe with tear filled eyes and Gabe looks at him sympathetically. "Okay. That happens sometimes too. I'll get you pain medicine" Gabe says. Nate nods again, and Gabe gives him an awkward hug. "The bath will probably help it stop hurting, too. Can you run your own bath?" Nate wipes at his eyes and nods. Gabe gives him a smile. "Okay, good. I'll go talk to Alex and get you something for the pain." Nate nods miserably and Gabe rubs his shoulders. "Hey, you're fine. This is normal and you have nothing to be afraid of. I'll be back in just a second." He says and ruffles Nate's hair before he steps out of the bathroom. 

Alex is standing in the living room, looking nervous and lost. Gabe rolls his eyes as he shuts the bathroom door. "It's just his period," He says. Alex shrugs. "You're his alpha. You can deal with it." Gabe's lips curls into a smirk. "Well, since 'his alpha' needs to stay here with him, you get the responsibility of going to buy him some pads." Alex gives him a look before he sighs. "Fine. I had to go to the store anyway." He says and Gabe nods. "Do you have any pain meds? He's not feeling too hot." "There's ibuprofen in the bathroom cabinet," Alex says. "But I'll get some more just in case. You know, Nate needs clothes. He can't just keep wearing my old stuff. You're gonna have to take him shopping." Gabe sighs. "I know. But right now, I have to explain to him how his body works."

Alex laughs. "Have fun with that" He says and Gabe rolls his eyes. "Yeah, yeah." He says and Alex claps him on the back. "Well, I guess I'll go to the store now, then. I might pick Nate up some basic clothes stuff to tide him over until you guys can go shopping." He says. "Like some underwear," Gabe says and Alex shrugs. "Yeah, maybe," he says, and heads into his bedroom to get dressed. Gabe gets Nate a glass of water and a handful of milk chocolate chips in a cup before he goes back to the bathroom. He knock and says "Natey? I'm coming in," before twisting the doorknob. Nate's settled in the bathtub, and lights up when Gabe sets the chocolate chips on the edge of the tub. He scarfed down half a bag when Alex made cookies the other day. Gabe laughs and goes to the medicine cabinet, taking out the ibuprofen bottle and shaking two pills into his palm. "Okay, Nate, I have the pain medicine," he says, coming to kneel next to the tub. Nate's expression turns to alarm when he sees the pills and turns away, whimpering. 

(I was literally going to ask you if Nate should be afraid of pills and needles omg) Gabe blinks. "The pills will help take the pain away. They're safe, I promise." Gabe tells him, but Nate shakes his head vehemently.

(omg I definitely think so yes) He's pressed as far from Gabe as he can get, plastered against the opposite wall of the tub. Gabe sits back, not wanting to frighten him, and closes his hand around the pills. "Nate, this is the only stuff we have that will make it stop hurting. I would never give you anything unless I knew it was safe." Nate whimpers. "No" He says quietly and Gabe's heart feels as if a vice has been clamped around it, squeezing tight. "Okay" He says quickly, dumping the pills back into the bottle and setting it on the sink. "Okay, no pills." Gabe says softly and Nate seems to relax a little. "Will you take liquid medicine?" Gabe asks him, and Nate frowns, confused. Gabe leans forward a little. "It comes in a bottle and you drink it from a tiny little cup. Would that be okay?" Nate bites his lip and shrugs. "Okay" Gabe says, "Let me call Alex and see what he can find for you at the store." Nate nods and Gabe goes out to the kitchen to call Alex from the house phone. "Nate won't take any pills," he says when Alex picks up, before Alex has a chance to say anything.

"Okay-" Alex says slowly, "Hello to you too" He snarks and Gabe snorts. "Yeah, yeah. Listen, could you try and find some liquid Motrin or those medicine tongue melts for kids or something so Nate doesn't have to take pills?" Gabe asks and Alex heaves a sigh. "Yeah, I'll see what they have" He says. "Thanks," Gabe says. "I owe you, like, so much. My life, probably." Alex scoffs on the other end of the line. "Yeah, you do but I'm gonna let you keep it. I might not be back for awhile; you two have been depleting my groceries much faster than normal." Gabe hums. "You love having us here" He says and he can hear Alex snort. "Whatever, Saporta. I'll be back later" He tells Gabe and they say their goodbyes and hang up. Gabe turns to Nate, who's hunched over in the tub. "Still hurt?" He asks , and Nate nods. Gabe sighs and sits down next to the tub. "Try eating the chocolate. It might help you feel a little better. Alex is going to get some other medicine for you." Nate carefully reaches for the cup of chocolate chips and settles against the back of the tub, his eyes on Gabe. They sit in silence for a few minutes, before Nate frowns. "Talk," he prods Gabe, and the directness startles Gabe into laughter. "Okay, okay," he says. "It seems like you don't know very much about omegas or alphas, am I right?"

Nate eats a couple of the chocolate chips and nods while he chews, eyes trained on Gabe. Gabe takes a deep breath. "Okay, you know you're an omega, right? and that I'm an Alpha?" He asks. Nate nods again. "Okay, good" Gabe says. "And most people are betas but most betas don't call themselves that. They just think of themselves as normal humans, and they think Alphas and Omegas are bad and wrong. So they do bad things to them, like what happened to you, because they pretty much think we're not human." Nate frowns and Gabe continues quickly."But we are human! We're just a little different. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Gabe says and Nate bits his lip and nods a little. Gabe scrambles to try and think of a way to explain the complicated issues surrounding Alphas and Omegas but decides against it. Nate's still a child; Gabe doesn't want to fry his brain with things like anti-alien policies and identity politics and police brutality and highly experimental gene therapy. He switches topics. "Okay, so, you're an Omega. Do you know what that means?"

Nate thinks hard. "Heat?" He says, looking quizzically up at Gabe. Gabe smiles encouragingly at him. "Yeah, when Omegas hit puberty they start to get heats that happen 3 or 4 times a year." Gabe tells him. "When you're in heat you, um, want to be with an Alpha and, um-" Gabe trails off trying to think of how this was explained to him when he was younger. "Hurts," Nate supplies, and Gabe frowns. Nate visibly wilts and not getting positive feedback, and Gabe hurries to explain. "I know your heat hurt, but they're not supposed to," He says gently. "Ideally, you would have has an Alpha there the whole time, ever since your pre-heat symptoms started. You're not supposed to be left alone while in heat, especially not when you're still a baby omega." He pauses. "I-I'm not really sure how to explain this, so bear with me. Um, so-when you're in heat, your body is telling you that-" He cuts off again. It was so much easier for him, growing up in a culture that was so much more accepting and open about what he was. 

Nate is staring at him with concerned eyes and Gabe sighs. He has to do this, no matter how awkward. "When Omegas go into heat it's their bodies way of telling them to get pregnant and have a baby." Gabe says and Nate's eyes go huge. He shakes his head vehemently, and Gabe reaches over to squeeze his hand. "Of course /you/ don't want to have a baby, just your body does and I know it's weird to think about, but you /can/ have babies, Natey." "No babies!" Nate says, scowling, and Gabe can't help but grin. "Yeah, no babies for you any time soon." He says and Nate shakes his head. "Ever!" He insists and Gabe laughs. "Okay, okay! I got it. No babies ever for Natey." He says and Nate nods. "So then, when you don' t get pregnant in your heat, you get your period because your body built up all this stuff to carry a baby, and now you have to get rid of it and that's what the blood in your underwear is," Gabe explains, hoping that's a sufficient explanation for now, but Nate tilts his head in concentration. "Why?" he asks finally.

Gabe blinks. "Well, your body gets a little confused why it didn't get pregnant, so it decides to start over and make everything new." Gabe tries to explain as simply as he can. Nate shakes his head, making a disgusted face. Gabe laughs. "Yeah, I know you don't like it. It's messy and you have cramps. It only lasts a few days though." "Days?" Nate asks, his eyes going huge and Gabe winces. "Yeah, buddy, it lasts a couple days." Nate shakes his head, clearly unhappy with the idea. Gabe squeezes his hand again. "Hey, it's gonna be okay. It's not as bad as a heat and Alex is buying you some pads to put in your underwear to catch the blood." Nate looks up at him. "You too?" He asks, and Gabe bites his lip. "Um...no. Alphas don't have periods." 

Nate frowns. "Not fair!" He complains and Gabe snorts and reaches out to ruffle his hair. "I know but Alpha's don't have heats either. They have ruts." Gabe says and instantly regrets it when Nate tilts his head. "Ruts?" He asks. Gabe sits back, regretting letting that slip out. "Yeah they're uh, kind of like heats but different." Nate thinks about this and then looks down between his own legs. "Different," he says, and Gabe nods. "Yeah, exactly. We have different anatomy." Nate looks at him quizzically. "Um, well, Omega's have heats because their bodies want to have a baby and Alpha's have ruts because their bodies want to help Omegas make a baby. The anatomies are different, but they work together." Gabe explains. Nate blinks at him, looking so confused Gabe feels bad for him. "What are you struggling with?" He asks. Nate scrunches his face up. "You," he says, and Gabe is taken aback. "Me? What about me?" Nate scrunches his face up even more. "My heat," he says. 

Gabe blinks. "I'm gonna need a little more than that, Natey." He says gently, "Are you confused how your heat is related to me, or Alphas, I mean?" He asks. Nate nods slightly, and Gabe sighs internally. This is the part he wanted to avoid talking about, but Nate's gonna have to know eventually. "Okay, so-an Alpha and an Omega can make a baby. You remember how you felt in your heat?" Nate nods. "Hurt" He says and Gabe falters. "Yeah, um, it hurt because you didn't have an Alpha there to help you." He says. "You," Nate says immediately, and Gabe gives him a little smile. "Yes, you had me and you're just a little omega so you didn't need anything more than my scent but it's not like that for adult Omegas." "How?" Nate asks innocently. Gabe tries to think of a way to explain this without the whole 'When an Alpha and an Omega love each other very much-' cliche. "The omega's body wants a baby, and it's so intense that they need an Alpha to-uh-" Nate's looking at him in amazement and Gabe finally spits out, "They need an Alpha to knot them." "What's knot?" Nate asks and Gabe curses in his head. "Alphas have this thing called...a knot," Gabe says vaguely and Nate blinks at him. "No, you don't," He says with such authority that Gabe bursts out laughing. 

Nate blinks at the outburst and Gabe tries to explain through his giggles. "We do, we-have a knot on our privates" He manages to get out and Nate frowns. "No, you don't," He reiterates, and Gabe just laughs harder. "I-I do, Natey, I swear I do. The suppressants I take-they make it so I can't know, just like they stop my ruts from happening." Nate squints at him. "No" He says and Gabe laughs again. "I'm telling you the truth! I-I can't show you Natey, you just have to trust me." Nate's eyes have dropped to Gabe's crotch and he's very clearly scrutinizing. Gabe resists the urge to cover himself, and clears his throat. "Um, so, the knot helps make sure an omega gets pregnant," he says.

"How?" Nate asks, still squinting at Gabe's crotch, and Gabe almost laughs again in disbelief of the situation he's in. "Um, when an Alpha and Omega are adults, they have-sex to try and make a baby." Gabe says in a rush, "The knot keeps the Alpha's-sperm, which is what helps make the baby, inside the Omega." Gabe says, cringing at how awkward this is going. Nate makes a face and Gabe rubs the back of his neck. "Yeah, no, I know. It doesn't sound very fun when I say it like that and you wouldn't like it in general; you're too young to be thinking about having sex." Nate considers this. "Have you?" He asks and Gabe nearly chokes. "Have I- had sex?" Gabe clarifies and Nate nods. Gabe shrugs and nods. "Yeah, I have," he says, trying to sound disinterested in the hope that Nate will get bored and drop the topic. 

Nate thinks about this and Gabe clears his throat. "Are you feeling any better?" He asks, desperate to get the topic off of him and his sex life. Nate settles back into the water and nods. He watches Gabe carefully, but doesn't say anything. Gabe attempts a smile. "Good, that's good. Alex will probably still be at the store for awhile." He pushes himself up and goes over to the bathroom cabinet, digging into the back. "I knew William kept a stash here," he says triumphantly as he emerges with a pad in his hand. "What's that?" Nate asks and Gabe holds it out for him to look at closer. "This is a pad. It sticks inside your underwear and catches all the blood." Gabe explains. Nate doesn't look enthused, and Gabe sighs. "Come on, it won't be bad. After you get out of the bath and all taken care of, we can do whatever you want." At that, Nate does perk up a little bit. "TV?" He asks. Nate's enamored with the television, apparently never having seen one before Alex turned it on a few days ago. "Sure" Gabe says smiling at him. The smile Nate gives him this time is huge. "Alex's show?" He asks and Gabe snorts. Alex introduced Nate to the cooking channel and now it's all the kid wants to watch. "Of course, Natey." Nate's smile, if possible, grows even bigger, and he lets Gabe help him out of the tub. While he dries himself off, Gabe goes to get him a fresh pair of underwear from Gabe's own laundry, and returns to see Nate with the pad in his hand, frowning hard at it. 

"Need help?" Gabe asks ands Nate startles, looking up quickly. As much as Nate has calmed down, he's still pretty jumpy after everything that's happened. "Sorry" Gabe says softly and Nate nods before he looks back down at the pad, turning it over in his hands. "I don't-" Nate trails off, looking confused. "You have to open it," Gabe explains, coming over to Nate and gently takes it out of his hands. He pulls it open and drops the wrapper in the trash. "See? It opens up and then you put the sticky side against your underwear so it stays in place." Nate peers at it before he reaches for the underwear in Gabe's hand. Gabe averts his gaze to give Nate some privacy as the kid pulls the underwear on and grabs the pad from Gabe. He can hear Nate fumbling with the pad, but Nate doesn't ask for help, and finally he tugs at Gabe's sleeve. Gabe turns to him to see that Nate's got the underwear on, and he's squirming uncomfortably. "Feels funny?" He asks sympathetically, and Nate nods.

"I'm sorry" Gabe says, "I've been told you get used to it after a little while, but it looks annoying" He says and Nate nods. "You wanna go get dressed?" Gabe asks, and Nate nods, brushing past Gabe to leave the bathroom. Gabe takes the dirty clothes to the laundry room and fills the sink with water to let them soak, before he returns to the living room and straightens out the blankets on his bed. He doesn't bother folding the bed back into the couch, just sits on it and waits for Nate. He turns on the TV, but doesn't change the channel. Nate likes to flip through them all before settling on Food Network. After a couple minutes, Nate comes back in loose sweatpants and one of Alex's old t-shirts and flops on to the pull out couch with a little whine. Gabe reaches out to ruffle his hair. "Hey, everything's okay," he says. He slides the remote over to Nate. "You can find the channel." 

Nate takes the remote from his hands and starts to flick through the channels. He keeps squirming, though, clearly uncomfortable and Gabe feels so guilty that he can't help him more. "Do you want anything to eat or drink, Natey?" He asks. Nate shakes his head and keeps flipping through channels. "Okay. Tell me if you need anything," Gabe says in concern and Nate gives him the smallest indication of his head in answer. He restlessly surfs through the rest of the channels and lands on Food Network. It's a rerun of Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, which isn't Nate's favorite but he sets the remote down. Gabe tries not to stare, but he can hear and feel Nate's fidgeting, and finally, he breaks. "Are you sure you don't need anything?" He asks, and Nate goes still, looking guilty. He doesn't say anything for a few moments and Gabe is just about to apologize for getting snappy when Nate says, in a tentative little voice, "Scent?"

Gabe's chest does that weird thing where it feels warm and tight and he remembers how Nate was snuggled up next to him at night. "Sure" Gabe says, "If it'll make you feel better" He says and stretches out. He's barely laid down when Nate is snuggled against his side, cold nose pressed into his neck. Gabe startles at the sensation and Nate pushes closer with a whimper. Gabe tugs at one of the blankets and pulls it up around Nate before he wraps his arms around the little omega. "Everything's okay." he says softly, rubbing circles over Nate's back. Nate slowly starts to relax, purring against Gabe's side as they watch the show. They get through a couple different shows before they hear the front door swing open and Nate tenses. His purring cuts off abruptly, and Gabe tightens his hold on Nate. "It's okay, it's just Alex," he soothes.

Nate whimpers and ducks his head, pressing closer to Gabe. Alex passes by the living room with a bag of groceries and pauses, looking at them all cuddled up on the sofa bed. He gives Gabe a look. "Wow" He says and walks into the kitchen. Gabe's immediate response is to roll his eyes, even though Alex can't see him anymore. He runs his hand up Nate's back. "See? It's just Alex. Nothing to be scared of. He'll have pain medicine for you, and I'd better help him with the groceries." Nate whines but Gabe slips off the bed. "I'm just gonna help him and then I'll be back" Gabe assures him and gives the omega a quick kiss on the forehead before he walks out of the room.

He heads for the front door instead of the kitchen, because Alex will only give him cryptic looks and make even more cryptic comments. He's still holding on to the belief that Gabe is Nate's Alpha, but Gabe knows it's just hero worship, and once Nate settles in and understands more and matures, it'll fade. Gabe grabs a couple bags, making sure to take the one with the medicine in it. He hears Alex's footsteps. "Don't-" Gabe warns and Alex laughs. "I'm just getting the rest of the groceries." He protests and walks over to the other car door, grabbing the last of the bags. "But," He says, "Are you really going to still insist that that kid isn't your omega?" Gabe checks the door shut with his hip. "He's not. He's just...lost. He doesn't understand anything about what's happening to him and he's latched onto me because I was the first person to care for him," he says defensively. Alex shuts the other door and comes around to where Gabe is still standing. "Gabe, I'm not saying you have to mate the kid. Obviously, but you can't tell me you don't see how he looks at you like you hung the moon."

"It's just-hero worship or something. I don't know!" Gabe says, "I helped him escape from that fucking lab and now he thinks I'm- whatever." Gabe says, annoyed and flustered."He'll grow out of it when he gets older and is around different Alphas." He says and Alex snorts. "/I'm/ a different Alpha." He points out. "When he gets /older/" Gabe reiterates, emphasizing the last word. Alex rolls his eyes. "Whatever you say, Gabe." And with that, he carries the groceries into the house. Gabe stares at him as he walks back inside. He /knows/ Alex is wring just as much as he /knows/ he's right about Nate. When he gets older, he'll be over this thing he has for Gabe and he can have a normal, happy life. Gabe hefts his bags up again and walks back into the house. He sets them on the counter and rifles through one until he finds the medicine for Nate.

There's children's Motrin, and Gabe spends a good three minutes trying to get it open before he finally manages. Childproof, indeed. He measures out the correct dosage into the little cup and then carefully takes it into the living room. "Natey, I have medicine," he says to the little bundle of blankets that is Nate. A whine comes from the center of the blankets and Gabe laughs. "Come on! It'll make you feel better." He says, tugging on one of the blankets. Nate finally pokes his head out of the blankets and blinks up at Gabe through his staticky hair. Gabe kneels down next to him, offering the medicine. "See, no pills." Nate regards the purple liquid with caution before he reaches his hand out to take it from Gabe. Gabe smiles at him reassuringly and Nate downs it. He nearly throws the little cup at Gabe when he's done and sticks out his tongue in disgust.

"Whoa, hey," Gabe says as he fumbles to catch the little cup. "I know it's not very good. Do you want a drink or something? A snack?" Nate nods and them to Gabe's confusion, reaches his hand up. Gabe spins around and Alex is there, pressing a water bottle into Nate's hands. "I figured you would forget something" He says, shrugging as Gabe looks at him incredulously. "All they had was the grape one and it tastes terrible." Alex says and Nate gulps down the water, nodding in agreement. Gabe feels weirdly nettled by the exchange, and goes into the kitchen to put the medicine cup in with the dishes. There are grocery bags sitting all over, and Gabe gets to work unloading them. He doesn't miss how Alex has stocked up on foods that are decidedly kid friendly. 

As Gabe puts the food away, he can hear Alex talking, explaining something on the TV, Gabe thinks but he can't be sure. It makes him antsy. He loves that Alex just readily accepted the fact that Nate is their responsibility now, but there's a part of him that doesn't trust him. That Alex will start talking about mates and Alphas and Omegas and put ideas into Nate's head because the last thing he needs is Nate finding out what Alex is actually saying when he says that Nate is Gabe's omega and he knows Alex means it in an innocuous way, but he's pretty sure Nate won't take it innocuously and might start to think that Gabe wants to mate him and then he'll hate Gabe, and that's the last thing Gabe wants and wanting to mate Nate couldn't be farther from the truth, anyhow. He just wants to make sure the kid doesn't experience any more trauma and is well taken care of. 

He rushes to put the groceries away, anxiety growing in him and he grabs a little pack of cheese-its before he goes back into the living room. They're watching Chopped. Nate's still curled up on the bed and Alex is in one of the armchairs. He's telling Nate what he would have made with the mystery ingredients instead of the chefs on TV and Gabe feels foolish. Alex wouldn't just go off and start telling Nate about those kinds of things, and Gabe doesn't look at either of them as he comes fully into the living room and settles into the other armchair. Nate sits up immediately, frowning at him. "I got you a snack, Natey." Gabe says and tosses the cheese-its to him. Nate catches them and turns it over in his hands, a hurt and confused expression on his face. "Do you want something else?" Gabe asks him, and Nate slowly shakes his head. Alex looks between them with an unreadable expression. 

Gabe frowns. "Do you feel any better after taking the medicine?" He asks and Nate blinks at him before he nods. Nate carefully puts the snack on the arm of the couch and then wraps himself tight in his blankets again, lying down and facing away from Gabe. Alex carefully stands up. "Gabe, how about you help me make dinner?" He says pointedly. Gabe looks up at him, incredulous, but Alex just glares at him. Gabe glances at Nate, who's lying still and tense under his blankets. Gabe sighs. "Fine." He says and follows Alex into the kitchen. Alex waits for the door to close before he rounds on Gabe. "What the hell are you doing?" He asks. "I'm not doing anything," Gabe says, holding his hands up defensively. Alex folds his arms. "You avoided Nate, or are you going to say that you didn't notice that?" 

"He-he doesn't need me there with him all the time. I don't want him to feel like he has to cling to me to feel safe" Gabe says, lamely, and Alex raises an eyebrow. "As stupid of an argument that would be under normal circumstances, it's even more stupid now." Alex says and Gabe bristles, but Alex doesn't give him a chance to speak. "The kid just got his period! You don't think he's due for a little extra comfort?" "I just don't want to hinder him," Gabe tries, and Alex scoffs. "Uh huh. And this has absolutely nothing to do with what I said to you outside, does it?" "N-no" Gabe says and Alex scoffs. "Right and it has nothing to of with the fact that when I'm not here, you have no problem letting him cuddle with you, but when I am here, you ignore him." Alex says and Gabe gapes at him. Alex sighs. "That's a confusing and painful rejection for a kid, Gabe." Alex says softly. Gabe sighs. "I just don't want him to get the wrong idea. I don't want him to think I'm trying anything with him. I mean, I tried to explain heats and ruts today, and I think it's only a matter of time until he starts asking about mating and stuff." 

"Right" Alex says slowly and Gabe groans, frustrated, "I don't want him to think I'm his /Alpha/" Gabe says and Alex just stares at him. "He won't think that when you explain things like mating only happen between adults." Alex says. "But I'm an adult," Gabe says, and Alex just sighs. "I think, if he ever thought you were going to try something with him, you would have done it during his heat." Gabe stays quiet and Alex sighs, clapping him on the shoulder. "Listen you're overthinking this, okay? Nate doesn't think you want to mate with him, but he does think you're mad at him or something since you won't let him scent you" He says and laughs when Gabe looks taken aback. "Yeah, so-" Alex continues, "I'm gonna make dinner. You go in there and fix the sad baby omega." Gabe looks towards the door, and then nods. "You're right. I'm overthinking it," he says, half to himself, and goes back out into the living room. Nate's buried under the blankets again, and doesn't move when Gabe comes in.

Gabe sits on the edge of the bed. "Hey, Natey" He says softly. Nate doesn't move. Gabe clears his throat, guilt sinking like a stone in his stomach. "You still feeling okay?" He asks. Nate shifts a little but doesn't say anything. Gabe reaches out to touch Nate, then pulls his hand back. "I just wanted to check on you," he says. "Alex is making dinner." Nate still doesn't say anything, and Gabe sighs and shifts to sit fully on the bed. "Natey, I'm sorry," he whispers. Nate shifts at that, peeking his eyes out from the blankets to peer at Gabe. Gabe keeps his gaze steady. "I'm sorry if I ignored you. I didn't mean to, I was just pre-occupied." Gabe says. Nate mouths the word to himself, and Gabe smiles a little in spite of everything. "It means I was busy with something else. I was thinking about something, and I didn't mean to make you upset."

Nate blinks up at him with big eyes and doesn't say anything. "Okay" Gabe sighs. "I can stay in here or I can go back in the kitchen and give you some space. It's up to you" Gabe says and Nate frowns, thinking it over. The silence seems to stretch for an eternity before Gabe clears his throat. "I'll take that as a go" He says and makes to get off the sofa bed when Nate makes a little noise, his hand shooting out from under the blankets to tap Gabe's wrist. Gabe stops and looks down at him. "Stay," Nate whispers, slowly wrapping his fingers around Gabe's wrist. Gabe settles back down. "Okay, Natey. I'll stay with you." Gabe sits on the bed and glances at the TV. Nate bites his lip and fidgets. "Scent?" He asks so pitifully that it makes Gabe's heart hurt. "Of course, Natey," Gabe barely finishes speaking before Nate's crawling out of his blanket cocoon and into Gabe's lap. He curls up against Gabe's chest and presses his face into Gabe's neck so desperately Gabe's throat goes tight.

Gabe swallows hard. "Hey, shh, you're okay" He says, rubbing Nate's back. Nate settles for a moment and then starts to squirm again. Gabe brings his hand up from Nate's back to play with his hair. "You're safe," he whispers. Nate nuzzles into his neck and starts to relax against Gabe, going boneless on top of him. By the time Alex comes out of the kitchen, Nate's fallen asleep. "I think the Motrin made him drowsy," Gabe whispers in response to Alex's inquisitive look. Alex nods. "And he was probably tired to begin with. That's gotta be rough on such a young omega." He says. "I'm kind of afraid to put him down," Gabe says, looking down at Nate. "But also, I'm starving." Alex shrugs. "He's small. You can sit with him at the table." Gabe nods and Alex helps him stand up while he carries Nate. The omega barely even stirs in his arms. "I made homemade pizza," Alex says as they go back into the kitchen. "I figured Nate would like it, but it's gonna be cold by the time he wakes up."

Gabe hums and carefully sits down at the table. "He can just heat it up in the microwave." Gabe says and then quickly adds, "Oven, I meant oven, I don't need to hear the lecture again." He says, shifting Nate slightly in his lap as Alex snorts. "You're not really going to let him touch the oven, are you?" He asks, and Gabe shakes his head. "Of course not," He says. Alex brings plates over to the table. "It's like you have the biggest newborn baby in the world," He says. Gabe breathes out a laugh, glancing down at Nate. "Yeah" He says. Nate looks so small and peaceful, sleeping in the safety of Gabe's arms. Alex cuts the pizza and puts two slices on Gabe's plate. Alex sits down across from him. "So you made it up to him, huh?" he asks, and Gabe nods. "I didn't realize he was getting so upset about being away from me." Alex stares at him. "He's been crawling into bed with you and you didn't notice?" Gabe frowns and picks up a slice. "Yeah, but I thought he was just having trouble sleeping or bad dreams or something" He says and Alex stares at him for a few seconds before he shakes his head and starts to eat his own pizza. 

Nate starts to snuffle against Gabe's neck after about twenty minutes and Gabe looks down at him. "Hey, Natey," he whispers as Nate blinks up at him. "Alex made pizza," he says, and picks up the quarter slice left on his plate. Nate looks at it for a moment and then opens his mouth. Gabe eats it in one bite and Nate blinks again before he whines unhappily, and Gabe looks down at him in surprise. Alex starts to laugh. "You'd better feed the baby bird, Gabe." Gabe lets out an incredulous laugh. "Nate, buddy, don't you wanna get up and eat?" He asks and Alex laughs harder when Nate whines again, shaking his head. Gabe sighs and reaches around him to grab another slice, this time holding it up to Nate's mouth, who takes a bite eagerly. Gabe gets the unmistakable feeling of deja vu and he remembers feeding Nate like this when they were locked down in that lab cell. Gabe refuses to look at Alex as he feeds Nate the entire slice of pizza. Nate eats happily from Gabe's fingers, obviously loving the pizza, and opens his mouth for more when he finishes the first piece. Alex laughs and stands up. "Save room for dessert. I made chocolate chip cookies." 

Nate perks up at that, peeking over Gabe's shoulder to watch Alex retrieve the cookies from across the room. Gabe shakes his head fondly. "You're a spoiled little omega," He tells Nate. Nate looks up at him in confusion. Gabe shakes his head. "You're not really spoiled," he says. "Alex is just cooking things special for you, that's all." Nate looks up at Alex with big eyes and Alex frowns. "Shut up, Saporta." He says, but Gabe thinks he can see Alex blushing. "So I made the kid cookies, whatever. He needs them. He's too skinny." Alex says as he places the plate on the table. "He's right about that, Natey," Gabe says. "They weren't feeding you enough." Nate looks up at Gabe again. "Bad," he says. Gabe freezes. "What do you mean, 'bad'?" He asks. "Food," Nate says and reaches out for a cookie, clearly deciding that Gabe is taking too long to feed him. Gabe starts to relax as Nate takes a bite, bit then Nate adds through his mouthful of gooey chocolate, "And doctors." "The bad doctors gave you bad food?" Alex asks and Gabe just hugs Nate right. Nate nods, happily chewing on the cookie.


	6. 6

Did you have any other ideas?

Yeah I have some things like I kind of have some vague idea about them getting caught again at some point (maybe all three of them, maybe just Gabe), also something about Alex getting really worried about how Nate will hardly talk, and also of course the people at the lab have all of Gabe's information and Gabe knows that they'll probably eventually come after him/all of them, and most immediately, Gabe and Alex taking Nate shopping and Nate just being overwhelmed/scared of the outside world (especially since they take him to the mall). 

Ooh! yes to all of that and maybe like in the future Gabe tries to sneak out in the night because he knows staying there will get Alex and Nate caught too but they totally catch him and are like what the fuck we're coming with you and then they all get caught? and omg yes they bring Nate to the mall to shop for clothes and he clings to Gabe the whole time. 

ooh yes I like that idea about Gabe sneaking out we should revisit that later but yes they take Nate to the mall and he's okay getting in the car but as soon as they get out of the quiet residential neighborhood and onto the highway, he starts to get uncomfortable and when they get to the mall he like doesn't want to get out of the car at first.

Yes! like Gabe is telling him he can choose whatever clothes he likes as he opens the back door of Alex's car and steps back to let him out, but Nate just sits in the backseat, still buckled in, just looking at everything around them in a panic. Gabe leans against the car door. "Nate, are you going to get out?" He asks gently, and Nate shakes his head, shrinking back against the seat. "O-kay-" Gabe says slowly, trying to think. Alex comes around from the other side of the car. "What's up?" He asks and Gabe clears his throat. "He doesn't wanna get out of the car." He says under his breath and Alex looks at Nate. "Hey buddy, you were excited to get clothes an hour ago, what's wrong?" Alex asks. Nate looks up at them. "People," he whispers, and Gabe turns to look around. The mall is actually comparatively deserted, and Gabe wonders just what Nate's early childhood was like. "None of these people want to hurt you," he tells Nate. 

"Me and Gabe will keep you safe" Alex says, "You have nothing to worry about" He says and Gabe nods in agreement. Nate bites his lip, looking at them and then looking around the parking lot again. "Carry?" He asks, and Gabe bites his lip. "Um, no, I can't. I'm sorry, Nate. I would, but it's....I just can't. It's not because I don't want to, though." Nate whines. "Hey" Alex says, "We can go back home if you really want to, but can you try just one store? You can hold Gabe's hand the whole time" He says and Gabe nods. "Yeah, Natey, I'll be right next to you the entire time." Nate thinks about this for a few moments, and Gabe holds his breath. Finally, Nate unbuckles his seat belt and slides out of the car, immediately reaching for Gabe's hand. 

Nate grips Gabe's hand so tight it actually hurts but Gabe gives him a huge smiles anyways. "Alright, let's go find you some clothes!" Gabe says, trying to make this as fun as possible for Nate. Alex walks on Nate's other side, and together they head into the mall. Nate steps even closer to Gabe when they get inside, his eyes going huge. "You okay?" Gabe asks and squeezes Nate's hand. Nate nods after a minute and Gabe smiles at him. "Do you wanna pick a store or should we?" Alex asks gently. Nate points at Alex with his free hand, and Alex nods. "Okay," he says, and then, "Um. I'm not sure where we would start." "Maybe a department store?" Gabe says, "They'll have a little of everything." He says and Alex shrugs. "Sounds good to me." He says and starts to walk. Nate sticks close to Gabe's side, but he can't stop looking around at everything in awe and trepidation. Gabe looks over at him. "It's a lot, huh?" (I've just realized that Nate does not and has not owned a pair of shoes this entire time and Gabe didn't have any until he went back to his apartment which means they were barefoot the whole time they were escaping, fuck)

Nate nods, still looking around. "Big" He says and Gabe laughs. "Yeah, it is pretty big." He says, leading Nate into a store behind Alex. "What do you wanna get first?" (fuck I didn't realize that either. Gabe and Nate's feet are probably all cut up then from running around on pavement. I feel like he's probably wearing an old pair of Alex's, but he doesn't like them because he isn't used to wearing shoes at all) 

(yeah I agree because he hasn't worn them for probably as long as he can remember, or at least very rarely. This would also explain why Nate wears flip flops because he doesn't like shoes fuck this is such a big oversight.) Alex looks down at Nate's feet. "Shoes," he says. "We really need to get him shoes that fit." "Yeah" Gabe says even as Nate wrinkles his nose. Alex laughs. "They're not that bad. We'll get you some that you actually like." He says and Nate gives him a look. 

(yes! I was thinking he only wants shoes that slip off easily so he can be barefoot as much as possible) "Oh, don't look at me like that. You can't go around barefoot. Remember how much it hurt on the pavement?" Gabe asks, and Nate frowns, but doesn't protest as Alex and Gabe lead him to the shoe section. "Well, are there any you wanna try on?" Gabe says and Nate just stares, wide-eyes, at the rows upon rows of shoes. Gabe smiles and squeezes his hand. "I know. There are a lot." He says before tugging Nate into one of the rows. "Let me know if you see any you like," Gabe says as they start down the row. He walks Nate up and down two rows before he can see an employee approaching them. "Hey, let's look over here," Gabe says, and tries to steer Nate the other direction. 

Nate doesn't move, looking curiously at a pair of sandals and Gabe groans internally as the salesperson comes up to them. "Hi, is there anything I can help you find today?" They ask, making Nate jump and grip Gabe's hands tight. Gabe moves himself in front of Nate as discreetly as he can. "Um, we're just looking," he says politely, and the sales person nods. "Looking for anything in particular?" "Sandals, maybe? Or back to school shopping?" The salesperson guesses, glancing at Nate, and Gabe can feel Nate tense up behind him. "Really," He says, gritting his teeth. "We're just looking." He says and the salesperson nods. "No problem! If you guys need anything, just let me know." They walk away, but Nate doesn't relax. "It's okay," Gabe says, turning to him and squeezing his hand. "It's their job to ask if we need help." 

Nate just frowns and nearly clings to Gabe's side. "Hey" Gabe says softly, ruffling his hair, "Forget about them, okay? You're here with me and I won't let anything happen to you." Gabe tells him and Nate nods a tiny bit. "Good" Gabe says, "Now, back to shoes." He says, turning back to the sandals. "Do you really want a pair of these?" He asks Nate. Nate shrugs. Gabe looks at them again. "Well, you can try them on and see if you like them, okay? But I also want you to get a pair of shoes like the ones you're wearing, because those are good to have." Nate shrugs again and Gabe sighs. Alex emerges from one of the rows. "Hey, Nate! What's your favorite color?" He asks. Nate looks up at him. "Pink," he says finally.

"Yeah? Then-" Alex trails off as he ducks back behind the shelf. Nate looks at Gabe confused and Gabe just shrugs. Alex pops back up after a few seconds. "You might like these!" He says, handing a box to Nate. Nate takes the box and stares down at it, clearly lost. Alex sighs a little. "Okay, you have to open the box." Nate does slowly, looking uncertain about the whole thing. A pair of pale pink converse sit inside and Nate pulls one out, looking interested. "Pink," he says, and Alex nods. "That's what I picked out the pink, because it's your favorite color." "Do you like them?" Gabe asks and Nate nods. "Okay. Let's try them on and make sure they fit." He says. Nate frowns at him, but goes along as Gabe herds him over to a bench. "Okay," Gabe says, and kneels down next to him. "Take your other shoes off." Nate gratefully kicks them off with a sigh. Gabe laughs. "Okay, we're definitely getting you the sandals and maybe some flip flops." He says, mostly to himself as he unlaces the pink converse. "Flip flops?" Nate asks, sounding out the words. Gabe laughs again. "Yeah, they'll slide on and off so you can be barefoot whenever you want," he says and Nate perks up. Gabe hands him the shoe, "Okay, put this on."

Nate blinks and takes the shoe, looking at it for a second before slipping it on. "Does it feel okay?" Gabe asks, pressing down on the top to see where Nate's toes are. Nate shrugs. Gabe can feel him wiggling his toes. Alex is watching them and a weird expression comes over his face. "Hey, Nate." He says and Nate looks up at him. "Can you tie them?" He asks. Nate looks down at the laces, up at Alex, at Gabe, and then shakes his head, looking down at his lap. Gabe clears his throat. "It's okay that you don't know how. You can learn." "Yeah" Alex says, looking guilty, "I was just wondering Nate. We can teach you how." He says. "It's not too hard," Gabe says. "I learned when I was four, so I know you'll be able to do it." He presses down on the toe of Nate's shoe again. "I think you should put on the other one and walk around in them." 

Nate wrinkles his nose. "Why?" He asks. "Well because we want to make sure they don't pinch your toes or rub your heels when you walk," Gabe says. Nate begrudgingly puts on the other shoe, and lets Gabe tie them for him. Gabe pats Nate's knee when he's done and stands up. "Alright, Natey, go test them out." He says and Nate stands up. He bites his lip, glancing down the aisle and then back at Gabe. Gabe frowns. "Do they hurt?" He asks and Nate shakes his head, looking down at the shoes before he takes a couple steps. He stops and looks at Gabe, who nods at him. "Go up the aisle and then comes back, so you know what it's like to walk in them." Nate stares at him for a moment before he swallows hard and slowly takes a few more steps down the aisle. "It's okay Nate" Alex says from the other aisle and Gabe nods. "I'm right here, Buddy. Just a couple more steps." Nate takes two more tentative steps, and stops again. He looks around again, and comes half-running, half-stumbling back down the aisle in a panic when one of the employees catches his eye and starts towards him. 

Nate practically launches himself at Gabe, who stumbles back a little at the force and then holds onto Nate tightly. "Hey, hey. It's okay." Gabe says gently as the employee walks towards them. She stops a couple yards away, eyeing Nate warily. "Are you finding everything okay?" She asks. Alex has come around into the other aisle, and he nods as Gabe makes soothing noises to Nate. "We're actually looking for some sandals," he says. "Maybe you could show me some?" "Um," The woman glances at Nate and Gabe again before she looks back at Alex, "yeah, of course. We have a couple here, but most of them are over here." She says, leading to Alex to one of the other aisles. Gabe hugs Nate. "You're okay" He whispers, "They're all gone. You're fine." Nate whimpers and keeps rubbing his face against Gabe's neck. Gabe's scent blockers only agitate him more. "Hey," Gabe says, softly. "Nobody is going to hurt you. I won't let them." He rubs Nate's back. "After we get the boring stuff, we can get fun stuff and we'll take you for ice cream." Nate sniffs and turns his head so it's resting on Gabe's shoulders. "Ice cream?" "Yeah" Gabe says, "Have you ever had it before?" Nate nods. "One time," he whispers. "I was little." Gabe looks down at him in surprise, but Nate's far away and isn't looking back at him.

Gabe rubs his back. He forgets, sometimes, that he has no idea how long Nate was in that lab or anything about his life before that. His chest aches thinking about an even littler Nate locked up in that lab cell. "Would you like to get some, then, after we go shopping?" Gabe asks. Nate nods and slowly sits up, just as Alex comes back with a stack of shoeboxes. He sets them on the floor and straightens up. "I told her Nate was your little stepbrother," he says to Gabe. Gabe nods. "Thanks man" He says and Alex nods before turning to Nate. "I picked you out a bunch of different sandals. You can look through them and try on ones you like." He says, "And sandals fit easy, so you won't have to walk around in them." Alex adds quickly. Gabe gives Nate one last quick hug before standing up. "Do you want to get the shoes you're wearing?" he asks and Nate looks down, wiggling his feet before he nods. They go through the boxes of sandals together, Gabe helping Nate with each one, before Nate settles on a pair. He wiggles his toes inside his socks, liking how he can see them in the sandals. "This one." He tells Gabe. "Okay, Natey," Gabe says. "Are those all the shoes you want?" Nate makes a face and Gabe laughs. "I'll take that as a yes."

They get Alex's old shoes back on Nate's feet and grab the new pairs of shoes before they head towards the clothing section. "Natey," Gabe says as they walk, "You can pick out whatever you like okay?" Nate nods as they come into the junior's section. They walk through the boy's section, Gabe and Alex pointing things out to Nate, and they manage to pick up an armful of stuff before Nate's eyes widen and he points with one hand, tugging Gabe along with the other. "This one!" Nate says breathlessly, putting his hand on a pink dress clearly designed for a high school homecoming dance, with layers of ruffles on the skirt and a floral appliqué on the bodice. Gabe's eyebrows raise slightly. "Um, okay" He says and Nate just keeps staring at the dress in awe. Gabe grins at him. You're probably gonna have to try this one on, since I have no idea what size you'd be" He says casually and tries not to laugh as Nate's eyes goes huge. "Okay!" He says eagerly. "You should probably try on everything you've picked out," Gabe adds as he pulls the dress off the rack. Alex comes over with an armful of jeans in various shades. "He would go right for the impractical stuff," he says when he sees the dress. "But it's very pretty, so I can't blame you."

Nate blushes a little but he can't keep the smile off his face. "C'mon," Gabe says, "Let's figure out what fits." They trek over to the dressing room, and Gabe and Alex carefully hang everything up in the biggest one. "You wanna try on the dress first?" Gabe asks, and Nate nods eagerly. He pulls his clothes off and Gabe helps him step into the dress. It's a corset back, and he has to ask Alex back in to lace it up. It becomes clear that they've gotten a size too big, the top gaping around Nate's chest, sliding down when Alex lets go. "It's too big," Gabe says, and Nate looks crushed, tears rushing to his eyes. "Hey, hey!" Gabe says, crouching down, "No waterworks yet, Natey. We'll just go see if they have a smaller size!" He says and Nate looks up at him with a miserable expression. Gabe glances up at Alex who nods and pats Nate's shoulder. "I'm already on it, buddy" He says and walks out of the dressing room. Nate doesn't look comforted in the least an Gabe pulls him in for a hug. "What's wrong, Natey? Is it a little too overwhelming?" Nate rests his head on Gabe's shoulder and doesn't answer. Gabe hugs him a little tighter. "I know this is a lot for you, Natey. You're doing so good; just a little while longer." 

There's a knock on the dressing room door. "Hey, I found one in a smaller size" Alex's voice rings out and Nate pulls away from Gabe, swiping at his eyes. Gabe strokes his fingers through his hair. "Come on in!" He says and leans over to open the door. Alex comes in with the dress, and makes a sympathetic noise. "Don't cry, Nate. We're gonna try this one, okay?" Nate nods and Alex helps him into it before lacing up the back. Gabe gasps and Nate looks up at him, letting out a whine. "It fits you perfectly!" Gabe says and smiles at him, stepping out of the way so Nate can see in the mirror. Nate breaks into a smile when he sees himself. He brushes his fingers over the skirt and twists to see more of himself in the mirror. "Pretty," he breathes out. "Very pretty" Gabe agrees and Alex nods. Nate can't stop smiling at himself in the mirror. He admires himself for a few minutes longer, before Gabe clears his throat. "Natey, you should probably try on the rest of the clothes now," he says. Nate shakes his head, fluffing his skirt. Gabe smiles fondly at him. "I know it's gorgeous, but the sooner you pick out the clothes, the sooner you can go home."

Nate considers this. "Don't wanna" He says and Alex laughs. Gabe blinks at him. "Um, Natey, wouldn't you rather wear it at home?" He asks. "Home?" Nate asks, and Gabe shares a look with Alex. "Yeah, Nate. We're gonna take everything you pick out home," Gabe says gently. Nate blinks and looks down at his dress again. "Mine?" He asks under his breath, picking at the ruffles. Gabe swallows hard. "Yeah" He says softly, "Everything you pick out today will be yours." "Okay," Nate whispers, and looks up at Alex, who moves forward to unlace the dress. It's a painstaking process having Nate try on so many clothes, and Nate's whining unhappily by the end of it, clearly exhausted, but he's picked out enough that Gabe's satisfied. "Alright," He says as Alex takes the last of the rejects out of the dressing room. He reaches for Nate's hand. "We're finally done, and now we can have ice cream."

Nate perks up a little at that and takes Gabe's hand. Gabe leads him out of the dressing room, both of their hands clutching Nate's new clothes and they meet up with Alex at the register. Afterwards, they're all carrying a shopping bag out as Alex directs them to the ice cream place. It's not too busy, and the boy working the register smiles at them as they come in. Nate clings to Gabe, hiding his face, and Gabe leans over. "Why don't you look at the menu and tell me what you want, and then I'll get it for you," he says, and points at the menu. Nate's eyes immediately widen at the sheer selection. Nate stares at the menu for a while and Alex nods to him. "I think I need a closer look, what about you, buddy?" He asks and steps forward to look at all the different flavors behind the glass. Nate looks up at Gabe, who nods and Nate edges forward towards the glass, standing close to Alex. He makes an adorable little gasp when he sees all the different kinds, and Alex laughs. "You can have whatever you want," he says to Nate. Nate looks at all of the flavors before he points to one and looks up at Alex. "Chocolate chip cookie dough?" Alex asks and Nate nods. "That's a good one." Alex says. Nate smiles and steps back towards Gabe, taking his hand again. A woman sitting at one of the tables eyes them, and Gabe pretends not to notice.

Alex orders his and Nate's before he looks back at Gabe. "What do you want?" "Double chocolate," Gabe says and Alex turns back to the cashier. Nate's looking furtively around, and the wonder on his face makes a bubble of incredulous happiness form in his chest, but there's even more anger and sadness at how Nate's childhood has been stripped away from him. Gabe nudges Nate a little and smiles down at him. "Did you wanna eat our ice cream in here?" He asks and Nate nods. Gabe leads him over to one of the high tables near the window and Nate hops up on the seat. Gabe sits beside him while Nate stares out the window. There's not much to see, but Nate looks almost entranced. Gabe lets him watch for a few minutes before Alex comes over with their ice cream and Nate perks up. Alex slides Nate's ice cream in front of him and Nate positively beams. "So much," he breathes out.

"Mhm. That is a double scoop of cookie dough all for you." Alex says, holding a spoon out to him. Nate grabs it smiling. He gets his spoon into the ice cream and takes his first bite. Gabe and Alex both watch him closely. Nate bounces in his seat, taking a second bite before he even finishes the first. "That good, huh?" Gabe asks, smiling at Nate as the omega eats rapidly. Nate nods happily. "You might wanna slow down a little, buddy" Alex warns, starting to eat his own ice cream, "You don't wanna get a brain freeze." Nate looks up at him for a second, before he starts to eat again before he drops his spoon on the table and gasps. "Told you so," Alex says. Nate whimpers, turning to Gabe with a pained expression on his face. "Hey, Natey, it's okay! Just put your thumb on the roof of your mouth." Gabe tells him. Nate shakes his head and then presses his thumb into his mouth anyway. His pained expression gradually smooths out, and he takes his thumb out. "Hurt," he says to Gabe.

Gabe ruffles his hair. "Yeah? That's what happens when you eat something too cold that fast" Gabe tells him, "It won't happen again if you eat a little slower," He says, but Nate sits back in his seat, looking put out. "Hey," Gabe says. "It's okay, Nate. Nothing bad happened. You just have to eat your ice cream slower." Nate shakes his head, and crosses his arms over his chest. Gabe sighs. "Do you want to try mine?" he asks, spooning up half a bite and offering the spoon to Nate. Nate bites his lip. "It's really good" Gabe says, teasingly. Alex watches them carefully. Nate contemplates it before he leans forward and opens his mouth. Gabe feeds it to him, and Nate swallows it carefully, thinking for a moment before he opens his mouth again. Gabe laughs softly. "Okay, one more bite, but thats it. You've got your own." Gabe feeds him another spoonful and Nate kicks his feet happily. Gabe laughs. "Now, eat yours. I promise it won't hurt again if you eat it slowly." Nate looks at his ice cream, and nods slowly before picking up his spoon. He eats the rest of it at a slower pace, but he's still done well before Alex and Gabe. By the time they're finishing up, Nate's practically slumped over his empty ice cream bowl, head propped up on his wrist and eyes slipping shut.

Gabe lets out a laugh when Nate's head actually dips and jerks up like he's falling asleep right there. "Okay, time to go home, Natey" Gabe says, grabbing their trash and throwing it away as Alex helps a sleepy, nodding Nate off his chair. Gabe returns and grabs his hand, gently leading them out of the store and through the mall. They pile the bags in the trunk of Alex's car, and then Gabe tries to deposit Nate in the back seat while Alex goes around to the driver's side, but Nate isn't having it. He clings to Gabe, twisting his fingers into Gabe's shirt and whining when Gabe tries to step back. Gabe blinks down at Nate, surprised, and Alex snorts from the driver's seat. "Just get in the back, Saporta." He says. Gabe throws a look his way, but clambers into the backseat anyway. He pulls the door closed with one hand, the other uselessly trying to balance Nate as the little omega tries to crawl into his lap. 

"Natey, you really should be buckled in" Gabe tries to protest as Nate curls up in his lap, nuzzling Gabe's neck even though he can't scent him. Gabe gives up and just holds him as Alex pulls out of the parking lot. "He'll be fine," Alex says from the front seat. "I mean, he hasn't eaten a proper meal today and if he naps now, he'll be up in the middle of the night, but he's safe." Nate makes a soft noise and curls up tighter against Gabe. "It's not like you're going to be up with him," Gabe fights to say through the tightness in his throat. "Oh, no" Alex says, "That lovely job is all yours." He says, glancing in the rearview mirror at them. Gabe sticks out his tongue at him and Nate shifts in his arms, his breathing becoming slower and deeper.


	7. 7

I feel like after they get home and Gabe lays Nate down on the sofa bed rather than Nate's own bed because he knows Nate will like the scent, Gabe really starts to put together his plan for leaving because Nate's settling in here and he's slowly coming out of his shell and Gabe's only jeopardizing his safety and Alex's and it isn't fair. 

yes! and he knows he's the only one that has traceable connections to the lab so he decides it's too dangerous for him to stay and so he starts to plan his exit, because he's stayed more than long enough. Nate is comfortable with Alex now, allowing Alex to touch him, and even hug him. He's still clinging to Gabe like a magnet, but he'll be fine with Alex and the hardest part is that he doesn't want to leave Nate, but he knows it's necessary to protect him, and he'll learn to swallow Nate hating him for the rest of his life as long as it means Nate's safe. Also, Gabe has almost no money, and nowhere to go, because the lab had his wallet and kets and phone and he's sure it's long gone by now but maybe that's also one reason they end up getting caught again, because Gabe decides to go back to the lab or his apartment, and of course Nate and Alex follow him and I keep thinking about the night Gabe leaves, it's getting late and Gabe is still wide awake when Nate crawls into bed (putting Nate to bed in his own bed is just a formality most nights and really only happens because Nate goes to bed earlier than Alex and Gabe and also Gabe is still trying to convince Nate he's safe without him) and Gabe knows he needs to be firm tonight and make Nate sleep in his own bed, but Nate's making sleepy noises as he curls against Gabe, and Gabe's heart hurts so much he can't bare to send the little omega away when this is the last time Nate will scent him, so instead he lays with Nate and plays with his hair for a long time, well after mate's breathing has turned into an adorable little snore.

Finally, he knows he can't stay, and carefully disentangles himself from Nate and eases off the sofa bed. Nate snuffles in his sleep, whining as he searches for the lost warm weight of Gabe's body. Gabe holds his breath and pushes his pillow up against Nate, which is warm from Gabe lying on it, and is also drenched in his scent. Nate settles, nuzzling it happily, and Gabe's heart pangs. He leans over, brushing a kiss to Nate's forehead. "I love you, Natey," he whispers in a choked voice and forces himself to turn away. About an hour or so later, Alex wakes up to a sobbing Nate at his bedside. Alex pushes himself up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "What's wrong, buddy?" He asks, confused as to why Nate came to him and not Gabe. Nate just continues to cry and Alex's stomach drops as his sleep muddled brain realizes Gabe might be seriously hurt if Nate's come to him.

He stumbles out of bed, hot and itchy panic crawling over him. "Where's Gabe?" He asks. Nate chokes on a sob, and Alex snatches his phone from the nightstand. He runs into the living room, poised to call 911. No one's there. Alex frowns. "Gabe?" He calls out, still clutching his phone tight. He searches around the room and then walks around the whole house. "Gabe, this isn't funny!" He calls, "Your omega is miserable and I'm starting to freak the fuck out!" He tries but there's no answer. Gabe is gone. The car keys are still in the kitchen, and Alex slams his hand against the kitchen counter. "Fuck you!" Alex shouts, and there's a crash from his bedroom. Nate. Alex swallows his rage and rushes into the bedroom. Nate's curled into a ball on the floor, and the lamp from the nightstand is tipped over. "Nate, Nate, I'm so sorry," Alex says. He kneels down next to the little omega. Sobs wrack his body, and Alex hurts for him. "You're still safe," he says feebly, and then blinks. There's a piece of paper clutched in Nate's hand.

Alex gently pries the paper from the sobbing omega, hushing him gently. He unfolds it. It reads: 'Natey, they can track me to you and to Alex so I have to leave to keep you safe. I'm sorry. Love, Gabe' Alex resists the urge to tear the paper up and scream. "That fucking idiot." He growls out and Nate whimpers. Alex throws the note aside, and sinks back onto his heels. He wants to tear into something. He wants to rip the house to shreds, but that won't bring Gabe back. Another sob wracks Nate, and Alex's anger surges. Gabe's so fucking blind. He can't see how attached the kid is to him. "You know what? No. He doesn't just get to leave" Alex says bitterly. Nate whimpers. "We're gonna find him." Alex says. Nate rolls over, sniffling up at him. "We are," Alex says. "He can't have gone very far. We can take the car and drive around until we find him." Nate looks up at him hopefully, tears still streaming down his face. Alex pushes his hair back gently. "You're okay. We're gonna find him and you can- cry some sense into him, okay?" Nate nods, and Alex reaches up for the box of Kleenex next to the bed, handing them to Nate. Nate blows his nose noisy as Alex stands up. "I'm going to go and get the keys. Get your shoes on and I'll meet you at the front door. We'll find him. I promise." 

Alex rushes out of the room, scrambling to find his keys and wallet. He's going to kill Gabe and his stupid, self-sacrificing ass as soon as he finds him. He meets Nate at the front door. Nate's got his flip flops on his feet and the box of tissues in his hand. He's still sniffling, and Alex just gets angrier at Gabe. "Okay, Nate," he says as he pulls his shoes on. "Let's go." Alex helps Nate into the passengers seat and tells him to buckle his seat belt as he gets into the drivers seat and starts the car. The omega is still sniffling and Alex gets more and more tense as they start to drive. He starts in the direction of Gabe's apartment, bur they make it nearly all the way there without any sign of him. Alex is hesitant to drive closer, remembering how they were watching the apartment before. "Where else would he be?" Alex asks, hitting the steering wheel in frustration. Nate keeps staring out the window. "Lab, he croaks out.

Alex blinks. "He's not that stupid to go back there, is he?" He asks out loud and Nate just watches the street pass by. Alex growls. "God damn it, Gabe." He says and whips the car around, driving towards the lab. "I'm going to fucking kill him," he says, and Nate turns to him in alarm. "Not actually," Alex says quickly. "I'm just so angry with him for leaving." Nate bites his lip. "Me too," He says pitifully and Alex's heart clenches. "Well, when we find him, I'll let you beat him up first." Alex says, giving him a half smile and Nate just sniffles. "We'll find him," Alex says, trying to sound sure. He hopes Nate's wrong about Gabe going back towards the lab, but a minute later, Nate sits up straight, plastering his face to the window. Alex looks over, and sees Gabe walking along the sidewalk on the other side of the street. Alex slams on the brakes. He rolls his window down. "Hey! Asshole! What the fuck are you thinking?" He yells and Nate whimpers next to him. 

Gabe's head whips up and he squints in the harsh glare of the headlights. "What the fuck?" He shouts back. Nate mashes at his own window button and sticks his head out the window. "Gabe!" He cries. Gabe throws his hands up. "Are you out of your fucking mind, Suarez? You brought /Nate/ with you?" "I'm not gonna leave him all alone like you, you piece of shit!" Alex yells and Nate whines, grappling with the door handle. "Gabe!" He cries again. "Natey, stay in the car," Gabe calls. "Stay with Alex." Alex makes a frustrated sound and throws the car into park. "Get in this car right now!" "Alex, I can't do that" Gabe says and Alex lets out a frustrated noise. "We will continue to follow you, either in the car or on foot or wherever, so you better get your ass in this car!" Alex says as Nate starts to cry again. "Gabe!" He sniffles. "Nate is devastated. He hasn't stopped crying for you since he found out you abandoned him," Alex says, hoping to guilt Gabe. "Look at him! He needs you." 

Gabe stares at him hard. "Nothing I say is gonna make you go away, is it? Even though I'm trying to keep both of you safe" Gabe says incredulously. "Nope" Alex says and Gabe sighs, but walks over to the car. Nate strains towards him, almost half out the window. "Gabe!" he says pitifully and Gabe comes over to him. "I know, Natey, and I'm sorry, but this is for the best," Gabe tries to explain, holding his hands out to take Nate's. Nate reaches up and slaps Gabe across the face before he bursts into tears and immediately wraps his arms around Gabe's neck, burying his face. Alex can't help but laugh at Gabe's shocked look and Gabe looks over to him as he puts his arms as much around Nate as he can. "I might have told him that he could beat you up." Alex says and Gabe takes a deep breath, stroking over Nate's hair. "Right, I probably deserve that." He says, "But Natey, listen, it's not safe for you to be near me." Nate sniffles and presses his face harder into Gabe's neck. "Sorry!" He cries, and Gabe shushes him. "Natey, it's not your fault. It's mine and you didn't hit me very hard. The bad doctors from the lab could find you if you stay with me." 

Nate shakes his head, holding onto Gabe tight. "Gabe stay!" He manages to get out. "Oh, Natey, I would if I could," Gabe says gently. Theres the sound of a siren, and a cop car pulls around the corner, casting red and blue flashing lights over them. Alex squints and puts a hand over his face. "Fucking great, Gabe. You're going to make me get a ticket." Gabe tries to step back but Nate won't let go. "Natey, I have to go or Alex will get in trouble." He says, trying to slip away but Nate holds tight. "Alex-" Gabe starts and Alex lets out a growl, glancing at the rapidly approaching sirens. "Gabe, just get in the fucking car!" "I'm putting you both in danger!" Gabe half shouts. Nate whimpers. The car pulls up behind Alex, and Alex throws his hand up. "Jesus Christ, Gabe! You couldn't just get in the car!" He whisper yells. A man steps out of the car and comes up next to Alex. Alex shoots Gabe a death glare and turns towards him. "Um, good evening officer," he says, pasting a smile on his face. The officer looks into the car. "What seems to be the problem here? You know you're parked in the middle of the street" He says gruffly. "Yes, yes I know," Alex says. "We're um, we're fine. We were just heading home." The officer shakes his head. "I don't think so, we got a call that you were disturbing the peace. I'm gonna need all of you to step out of the car." 

Alex blinks, his heart pounding in his chest. "Yes, sir." He says, "Nate, you've gotta get out go the car, buddy. Go stand by Gabe." He says as he turns the car off. Nate silently obeys. The police officer steps back and beckons Alex out of the vehicle, having him go around to the other side of the car to stand with Gabe and Nate. A second officer gets out of the car, and Gabe frowns, reaching out towards Nate. "Stay still," the first officer says, coming up behind Gabe, and Gabe turns his head towards Alex when a sharp pain stabs him in the neck and his vision starts to swim. Nate whimpers, watching Gabe stagger and fall backwards. 

Okay so I think we can skip the part where they all get drugged and taken back to the lab but I kind of have this idea about them separating the three of them and they decide to put Gabe into rut. 

Oooh! okay and when they first come in to inject him with something to put him in rut, Gabe thinks it's just the sedative so he's like, "Ha! You bunch of cowards! Putting me to sleep just so I shut up?" He says as he's held down to the bed by two men as the doctor injects him. "If you're a good Alpha, we might let the little Omega in to see you," The doctor says as he steps back. Gabe's heart beats faster. He hasn't seen Nate the whole time he's been here, and he's spent his time alternating between cursing out the doctors and getting sick with guilt over making Nate get stuck in here all over again. Gabe growls. "You let him go." He says, "He's just a kid!" Gabe says to the doctor's retreating back. He's starting to feel dizzy and his skin feels warm and itchy. He frowns as the other two make their way out of the room. This isn't what the sedative feels like. 

He rolls onto his back and stares up at the bare ceiling. His skin gets itchier and he rubs his arms. "What the fuck did you give me?" He snaps. Slowly, heat pools in his belly and his cock starts to get hard and Gabe freezes. "No, no no no," He mutters and the doctor's comment about sending the omega in makes his stomach roll. "You fucking assholes!" Gabe snarls. "You're sick and perverted and I can't wait for you to drop dead!" He drags himself off the bed and into the shower. If he can just keep his body temperature down, his rut won't effect him so much. He lets out a pained noise as he blasts himself with icy water, but it's the only way he's going to get through this. After about ten minutes, he's been reduced to sitting on the tile under the cold water, shivering and miserable, but under control. His heart stops when he hears the door to his cell open.

He actually prays for it to be the doctor returning just to gloat about what he's done to Gabe, but he'd know the soft sweet scent and tiny whimpers anywhere. His stomach drops and he turns into the corner. He can hear Nate tiptoeing around the room part of his cell, clearly not knowing what to expect. Gabe hears a tiny gasp and the sound of bare feet hitting wet tile. "Gabe!" Nate cries. Gabe groans and tries to cram himself tighter into the corner. "Natey, please go sit on the bed. You can't be near me right now." Nate makes a distressed noise. "Hurt?" He asks and Gabe breathes out harshly. "Yeah, buddy. I need you to go stay by the bed, okay?" "No," Nate says, and puts a hand on Gabe's back. Gabe tries to move away, but there's nowhere to go. "It's not-you can't fix this, Nate. I've missed you so much, but I need you to go away right now." 

"No" Nate says and sniffles, "Stay" He begs miserably and Gabe's throat burns as he starts to tear up. "I know, Natey," He forces out. His rut is making him feel even more fiercely protective of the baby omega. Nate presses his forehead to Gabe's back. "Smell good." he whimpers. Gabe squeezes his eyes shut and breathes through his mouth. "Yeah?" He croaks out. He's thankful that the cold shower is still keeping his rut at bay because he knows it would be unbearably painful without it. Nate nuzzles him. "So good," he sniffles. Gabe sighs. "Okay, okay, I know. It's-Nate, I'm in rut. Thats why you have to stay away from me." "Why?" Nate whines and Gabe tries to think of an excuse that will get Nate away from him. Finally it hits him. "Natey, do you remember what I told you about Alpha ruts?" He asks and he can feel Nate nod as he scents him. "The doctors made me go into rut so you can have a baby." Gabe says and waits, heart beating loud in his chest for Nate's reaction. Nate jerks away from him. "No babies!" He says in a panic, and Gabe sighs in relief. "No babies for Natey, ever. That's right and that's why you have to go away, because I'm not a baby Alpha." 

Nate hovers for a second. "Natey, you can still see me if you're by the bed, I promise." Gabe says and Nate's quiet for a second before he pecks Gabe's shoulder and gets up, walking over to the bed. Gabe takes a relieved breath when Nate moves away, but the relief doesn't last long. He's so hard, harder than he can ever remember being, and everything's hot and itchy and even the effects of the cold water are starting to become less helpful. Gabe takes deep breaths, trying to think. If he were home alone, he would just jerk off to take the edge off but he doesn't think that's a good idea right now. At least, especially not while Nate is watching his every move from the bed and that's the other thing, separate from his desperation to knot is his desire to protect and comfort Nate. The doctors have being doing God knows what to him, and Gabe wants to be able to let Nate curl up in his lap and scent him but god, he needs to knot. His dick is throbbing, the base swollen where his knot will grow.

Were you thinking he jerks off? To be honest, I can't really think of how to get Gabe out of the situation. 

I mean I think eventually he's so far gone that he ends up knotting his hands and it's the most humiliating and unsatisfying thing he's ever done and after that the doctors show up again because they just don't get why Gabe won't mate Nate and Gabe's like you gotta be fucking kidding me. 

Okay yeah I was thinking that he gets so desperate that he makes Nate turn around and cover his ears and the knotting his hands thing is good. After that do you think they take Nate away from him again so they can ask him why he won't knot the omega?

Yeah, I think so like they take Nate out and Nate's crying and Gabe's growling but he knows that for now it's better than Nate leaves and one of the doctors stays in the room and starts interrogating him about why he refuses to knot Nate.

Yes and Gabe says, "He's like twelve you sick son of a bitch" and the doctor just looks at him calculatingly. "We weren't aware your- instincts could be suppressed over something like morals" The doctor says, "I wonder, if we up the dose, would your true nature become apparent?" The man says and Gabe growls. "Try all you want. We don't mate with /children/" He says, disgusted. The man looks him up and down and hums. "Maybe /you/ don't. Other like you may not have as strong convictions." Gabe narrows his eyes and growls. "What the fuck does that mean?" He asks and the doctor smirks at him. "Maybe we should run this little experiment with your friend in the other room, the other Alpha" He suggests and Gabe bristles. "He would never either!" Gabe spits out. "Interesting," the doctor notes. "Perhaps you'd like to fight over who gets a chance to mate the little omega. Would that more appropiately simulate a natural setting?" Gabe snarls. "You can set up whatever nasty experiments you like, but neither of us is going to mate a child!" The doctor frowns and leans back a little. "Prepare another dosage for him. The omega prefers this Alpha," he says to an assistant. Gabe growls and the doctor turns his attention back to Gabe. "I must say, we were incredibly surprised to find the Omega not pregnant when we apprehended you. Why take the Omega at all? We assumed that you had taken him to a nest to breed him. Mating is an intensely vulnerable process, of course, which is why a nest would make sense."

Gabe lets out a loud, frustrated growl. "What the fuck? How many times do I have to tell you people. We do not mate with children!" Gabe yells, "It doesn't matter what you do to me or to him. It's not gonna happen!" He shouts and the assistant looks at the doctor, worried. The doctor narrows his eyes. "Then why take the omega in the first place?" He asks after a minute. "To keep him away from you sick bastards!" Gabe yells, resisting the urge to deck the guy in the face. "But the omega is clearly attached to you," the doctor says, nervous. Sweat beads along his hairline and, when Gabe shifts futilely to try and ease the lack of pressure around his shrinking knot, he actually flinches. Gabe stops, incredulous. The man is afraid of him. 

Gabe leans forward a bit, smirking. "The omega knows I will fight to protect him." He says, "And I will. I will fight to the death to make sure he doesn't get hurt." Gabe says and the doctor shifts in his seat anxiously. "I would classify that as a mating instinct," The doctor begins, voice higher than before. Gabe's smile widens. "Does it? I'd classify it as more of a....maternal instinct. You know, I'm sure, how some mothers are when there's a threat to their baby. I guess I'd say they return to bade instinct. Their true nature comes out." The doctor flinches, fear running across his face before his visibly brings himself under control. "Bonding like that only takes place among infants," he says, voice shaking the smallest bit as Gabe shifts slightly so he's up higher on his knees. "I think, however, your rut cycle could temporarily-" He trails off as a harsh yell comes from outside. "The omega fucking bit me!" There's a brief flash of silence before Nate cries out. Gabe snarls and just sees the doctor's eyes widen in terror before his world shrinks down to pure protective instinct. 

Gabe stands up quickly, not even registering the way both doctor and assistant recoil in fear. "Key" He snarls and tears the passkey out of the trembling doctor's hand. He nearly kicks down the door to his cell and gets into the hallway, focusing on Nate's faint whimpers to navigate him. A man stands in the hallway a few yards ahead, poking gingerly at his hand and hissing. Gabe can see blood, and a vicious satisfaction fills him. He growls, and the man recoils, letting Gabe pass. Nate's whimpering gets louder, and he turns a corner to see a guard with his arms locked under Nate's shoulders to restrain him from hitting. Gabe freezes in the doorway, fresh anger flooding through his veins. "Let him go or I'll tear your throat out" Gabe growls out. "Gabe," Nate whimpers pitifully. The guard smirks. "We're just going to try putting your omega in with another alpha and see how he likes that. He'll be just fine." Gabe stalks forward. "One more chance. Let him down or I'll kill you." 

The guard falters a bit before he sneers. "You were all talk before and you're clearly all talk now." He says, tightening his grip on Nate. The man barely has time to react, letting go of Nate and trying to reach for his gun, before Gabe is across the room and smashing his head against the wall. There's no blood, but the guard crumples to the ground and doesn't move. Gabe doesn't even notice. Nate's crying, sprawled on the floor and Gabe scoops him up, nuzzling him. "It's okay, Natey," he whispers. "You're okay. You're safe now." Nate clings tight, his fingers digging into Gabe's back. "Shh, you're okay. I've got you" Gabe says as Nate cries into his neck. Gabe looks around frantically. They're alone. The man Nate bit clearly left to get more security. They have to leave now. "Natey, do you know where they were trying to take you?" "Alex," Nate cries, and Gabe tightens his grip as he spins around. There's a door further down the hall, in the direction the guard was taking Nate earlier. "Okay," Gabe says. He's still got the passkey in his hand. "We're gonna get Alex and then we're gonna get out of here." 

"Hang on to me tight." He tells Nate as he starts to walk down the hall and Nate clings to him. Gabe swipes the passkey and lets out a breath of relief when the door click to unlock. He opens the door and his stomach drops. Alex is just lying on the bed, glassy eyes, obviously heavily sedated. Nate whines. "Fuck," Gabe says and goes over to the bed. He shakes Alex's shoulder. "Alex," he says, desperately. Alex groans and blinks up at him. "You reek," he croaks out. "I know" Gabe says tensely, "We're leaving. Can you walk?' Alex struggles, but manages to get into a sitting position, leaning heavily against the wall. "I, um. How far do we have to go?" He asks. "Too far," Gabe says, "Fuck" He mutters under his breath. "Natey, I need you to walk by yourself, okay? So I can help Alex." He says. (By the way, were you thinking they get stopped and have to go through more experiments? because I have an idea of how they could get out and be safe-ish but it could happen anytime they're in the lab)

(I'm actually making this up as I go along so I'd like to know what you're thinking) Nate whimpers but nods and lets Gabe set him down. "Good boy," Gabe says and turns to Alex. "Oh, and you're also half naked," Alex says. "Alex-" Gabe warns, getting an arm around him, "Make fun of me later, okay?" Gabe says as he helps Alex off the bed and onto his feet. He stumbles and leans heavily off Gabe. "Of course, sure." Alex slurs a little as he talks, "Focus on getting out and not dying, right" He says and Gabe sighs. "Come on, Natey" He says and they slowly make their way out into the hallway. "Be ready to run," He says to Nate as they all step into the hall. He can hear people shouting and he knows security can't be far away. They need to get out of here before Gabe's rut gets strong again.

They make their way down the hallway as fast as they can, having to stop once for Alex to lean against the wall and catch his breath. Nate holds on to the back of Gabe's shirt, keeping a close eye on Gabe and Alex. They've almost made it to the stairs when three guards round the corner in front of them, guns drawn and pointed right at them. Gabe stops abruptly, making Alex stumble and Nate bump into him. Gabe puts his hand out, pushing Nate further behind him. 

"Step back into your cells or I will shoot you." The guard in front says and Gabe swallows hard but stays still. The guard adjusts his grip on his gun. "Step back!" He says again, angrier, "Or I will shoot you!" He yells before there's a terrifying, booming sound from above them that shakes the entire building. Nate whimpers and hides his face in Gabe's back as Gabe, Alex and the guards look up at the ceiling. "What the fuck was that?" A guard standing off to the side yells into his walkie. The radio crackles before a voice can be heard over it. "There's been an explosion in the south wing. You need to evacuate." The voice says and the guard in front glances from Gabe and Alex to the ceiling, not sure what to do with them. A second boom shakes the building again and a crack in the ceiling forms. The guard lowers his gun. "Leave the /animals/ and let's go." He says, looking the Alphas up and down before turning to his men, "If they survive a cave in so be it. I'm not dying down here."

The other guards look at each other and then lower their guns as well. "Me neither," One of them says, and then they turn and run up the stairs as the crack in the ceiling widens. Nate makes a terrified noise and clutches onto Gabe. "We're not dying down here either" Gabe growls and he and Alex slowly make their way to the stairwell. "Natey, go run up ahead of us." Gabe says and Alex nods. "Yeah, buddy. Go ahead" He pants, but Nate stays close to them. They can hear something creaking loudly above them, bits of the cement starting to rain down on them and Gabe grits his teeth, moving as fast as he can towards the stairwell. Every step seems to be taking five times longer than normal, like he's running through quicksand. Alex is trying to move as fast as he can but he's still heavily sedated. 

A large piece of the cement ceiling falls right as they make it through the doorway to the stairwell and Gabe rests against the wall, panting, as Alex does the same. They can hear shouting clearly coming from above them. Nate is trembling behind him and Gabe nods to him. "We're gonna be okay." He tries to assure the omega, "We just have to get up the stairs and there's a side door we can escape through. You can run up and wait for us," Gabe says, and Nate shakes his head, moving closer to Gabe. "Stay," he whines. Gabe bites his lip and nods, looking to Alex. "We need to get going," he says. 

Alex nods, still breathing hard and Gabe gets a good grip on him again. The stairs prove incredibly tougher than the hallway. Nate lets Alex use his shoulder as another ledge to lean on and they keep having to stop every couple of stairs for Alex or Gabe to catch their breath. They make it up eventually. Gabe's legs feel like jello and Alex keeps coughing but they can see the door to the outside and they gather up the rest of their strength to push towards it. They spill out onto the grass next to the building, Gabe and Alex collapsing to their hands and knees immediately. Nate kneels between them. Gabe can hear Alex puking near him but he can't bring himself to care. He gets a moment of happy relief that they got out and they're alive before it's cut short by Nate gasping. Gabe lifts his head up to find a figure in all back, complete with a bandana over his nose and mouth, staring down at them in shock. Nate starts to whine and holds onto Gabe.

The man glances at Nate, confused, before Gabe can see his nose wrinkle from under his bandana. Then his eyes go wide. "V!" The man calls over his shoulder and Gabe reaches for Nate instinctively. He tries to pull himself up and the man spins back around. "Hey, hey!" He says gently. "Just calm down. We're part of the Peoples Against Omega Abuse. We're not gonna hurt you." He says. Nate crawls closer to Gabe, pressing against his side. "You're...what?" Gabe asks, blinking up at the man. The man turns slightly as another person approaches. "We're part of a group that fights for the rights of omegas and alphas, and we're here to help you," he says. His gaze moves over to Alex. "What's wrong with him?' He asks.

Gabe's head is spinning. "He's been given a sedative, probably a lot." He says and Nate presses close to him. The man nods and then turns towards the other person who's arrived, a young woman with dark hair. "V, do we have room to take these guys back? Two are Alphas and the little one is an Omega. They need medical attention, so-" The guy trails off and the woman nods, "We'll get them to Travie." She says and looks over them, utterly confused. Gabe stares back at her and she blinks. "Sorry, I just-Why were you in there?" She asks, "That's a level 3 research facility. There shouldn't have been any Alphas or Omegas near there, especially not for testing." She says and Gabe's jaw drops. "You didn't even know we were down there?" He gets out.

"Um...no," She says, and doesn't meet his eyes. "Like I said, there shouldn't have been any Alphas or Omegas near this facility at all." Gabe narrows his eyes. "So then...why are you here, if you had no idea that we were here?" The adrenaline of escaping is starting to wear off and he's getting hot and irritable as his rut starts to filter back into his consciousness. She clears her throat. "Our organization is a little more- aggressive than others." She hedges and the other guy snorts. "We firebombed the building to destroy their research." He tells Gabe. "We wouldn't have done it if we knew you guys were in there, obviously." He says, "But we sent people in to do surveillance and they never reported any Alphas or Omegas." He adds, frowning. 

"I don't know when you did your surveillance, but we've only been there for a day," Gabe says. "But we were there a couple weeks ago. And he's-" he nods towards Nate, who's still tucked against his side. "He's been there for I don't even know how long." "That's horrible." The man says and the woman nods, looking at Nate concerned, "And disturbing." She says. Alex groans and starts to dry heave, making Nate close his eyes. "Right" The woman says and pulls out a cell phone, "We've gotta get outta here anyway. I'll have them pick us up here and you guys can come to our base of operations and get patched up. You'll be safe there." She says. "Okay," Gabe says, and lays back against the grass. It's getting hard to concentrate again and he'd be more embarrassed if everything going on weren't so surreal. Nate whines and turns towards him, but Gabe shakes his head. "Remember what I told you in the cell?" He says, and Nate sniffles, but nods. 

The woman is busy talking on the phone but the man, frowns down at him. "He was with you while you were in rut?" He asks incredulously, "Why? Did they do that just to torture you?" He asks and Gabe closes his eyes, shaking his head. "I think they want me to mate and breed him," Gabe mumbles, and Nate whimpers. The man makes a noise. "He's a kid!" He says and Gabe cracks an eye open. "That's what I said!" He says angrily, "Sick motherfuckers" He mutters as he closes his eyes again. He can feel his rut getting stronger and stronger and he wishes he could do something to stop it. He slits his eyes open again. "Can you like, do something to stop my rut?" He asks. "Because it's really- I don't want to humiliate myself in front of you and I will if I don't have anything to stop me." "Sorry, man. You'll have to wait until we get back and talk to Travie. He's a medical doctor that advocates with us," The man says, averting his eyes a little, trying to give Gabe some semblance of privacy. Gabe sighs. "How long will that take?" He asks. The man shrugs uncomfortably. "I'm not sure," he admits. "Shouldn't be more than an hour or so, at most. Can you hold on until then?"

Gabe breathes in deep. "I don't really have a choice." He mumbles and then falls silent as an SUV pulls up next to them. A couple more guys get out, all dressed in black as well, and start helping them into the car. Nate is watching them closely, the desire to cuddle up to Gabe is obvious. He whines when the men put Gabe into the very backseat, twisting around to look at him anxiously. Gabe tries to smile at him. "It's okay, Natey," He says. "I'm just going to be right here." Nate continues to watch him with big, worried eyes until the men put Alex next to him. "Hey, Buddy." Alex croaks out and Nate looks down at him, concerned. "You doing okay?" Alex asks. Nate leans his head against the seat and puts his hand on Alex's shoulder. Alex smiles at him. "I'm just tired after I sleep, I'll be just fine. Don't worry about me." "Alex sleep." Nate says and then yawns wide. Alex laughs. "You should get some sleep too." He says and then tilts his head back. "And so should Gabe!" "Gabe is a little busy with something right now," Gabe pants out. He's got his hands clenched at his sides, nails digging into his palms so he won't touch himself.

He's starting to sweat and his skin is hot and itchy again. "Right." Alex says, "Forgot about your whole rut ordeal you're going through. Sorry man." Alex says as he yawns. Nate peers at him again, just his eyes poking up from behind the seat as the car starts to drive away from the lab. "Alex is right, Nate. You should get some rest," Gabe says, because he really needs Nate to stop looking at him. Nate frowns and whines at him. Thankfully, Alex tugs at Nate's shirt. "Come on, you've gotta sit forward when we're driving at lease." Alex says and Nate looks at Gabe, who nods, and begrudgingly spins back around.


	8. 8

Do you have any ideas for once they reach the base?

Not really, other than Travie giving Gabe emergency suppressants and Nate totally taking a shine to Travie because Travie patiently explains everything he's doing as he administers the suppressants to Gabe and some fluids to Alex. 

aww yes that's really cute though and also I feel like Gabe has to apologize all over again to Nate and comfort him and also I can see him like...super low-key being jealous about how much Nate likes Travie but doesn't even get that he's jealous for like the longest time.

yes! because the lab people never bothered to explain anything so it's scary to Nate and like I can just see Nate hovering near Gabe and Alex as Travie prepares an injection and an IV drip and he's just eyeing Travie suspiciously and Travie looks over at him and smiles. "Do you know what this is?" He asks, holding up an alcohol wipe and Nate just looks at him with frightened eyes because he's been caught out, but Travie just grins at him and swipes it across Gabe's arm. "It's an alcohol wipe. It cleans his skin so no yucky germs get in when I give him his suppressants." Travie explains and Nate bites his lip and peers down at Gabe's arm. (and yes omg when they're all fine again Nate is very upset with Gabe for leaving)

(yes that's so good! and also Nate's like really scared because he's had experiences with needles and IVS before and he doesn't want them used on Gabe and Alex) "And then I inject him with the suppressants," Travie goes on, picking up the syringe, and Nate makes a scared noise. Travie looks over at him. "It's okay. It won't hurt him. He'll barely even feel it and then he'll fall asleep and when he wakes up, he won't be in rut anymore and he'll feel a lot better."

exactly!! And Nate still looks super scared, so Travie holds it up. "See that clear liquid in there?" He asks and Nate gives him a tiny nod. "That liquid had a million little workers that are gonna travel through his blood and tell everything to calm down." Travie days and brings the syringe back down, "Plus, it has a really tiny needle on the end so when I do this-" He says and gently pushes it into Gabe's skin. Nate watches anxiously, but Gabe doesn't even flinch. "He doesn't feel it." Travie says. Travie finishes injecting the suppressant and carefully disposes of the needle. "See? It's all done and he'll be back to normal soon, I promise." Nate gives Gabe one last worried look, but Gabe seems to be fine, and Nate slowly relaxes. Travie helps Gabe lie down. "Feel any better?" He asks and Gabe nods. It's like ice is slowly creeping through his veins, putting out the fire underneath his skin, and he's already feeling less itchy. "Good." Travie says. "Now, I wasn't lying. You're gonna fall asleep for a couple hours, but after you wake up you should be good as new, okay?" He asks and Gabe can only nod. Travie nods at him before he straightens up and turns to Alex. 

Nate sits on the bed next to a sleepy Gabe and watches Travie and Alex talk. "You were given sedatives, right?" Travie asks and Alex nods. "Yeah, I don't know how much though," He says and Travie sighs. "Yeah, I figured. Since I don't know what or how much you were given, there's not much I can do for you." The doctor admits and Alex shrugs. "But if you're okay with it, I wanna put you on an IV for fluids. Sedatives can dehydrate a person quickly and you could have headaches and nausea." "I'd rather not feel more like shit than I already do," Alex quips, and Travis gives him a little smile. "That's what we aim for," He says. Nate reaches over and carefully takes Gabe's hand. "Stay," he says softly, but Gabe's eyes are already shut, and he doesn't respond. 

Nate's breathing picks up and he starts to whine. Travie looks over. "Hey, hey. He's okay." He says gently, walking over to Nate. "He's just sleeping, I promise. I told you that he would fall asleep remember?" Travie says, voice low and soothing. Nate nods slowly and looks down at Gabe. "You can see him breathing, can't you?' Travie asks gently, and Nate gives another short nod. "See? He's just asleep. You'll have him back in no time." Nate still looks worried and Travie shakes his head, smiling. "Tell you what, why don't we make a bet?" He says and Nate frowns, confused. "If he's still sleeping after- 4 hours." Travie says, "Then I'll buy you a bunch of candy and snacks and all that, but if he does wake up, you have to say 'You were right, Dr. Travie.' and give me a high five, deal?" Travie asks. Nate contemplates this and Alex turns his head with a soft groan. "I've never heard him speak a complete sentence before," he says with interest. "I have to see how this plays out.

Travie's eyebrows shoot up a little before he covers his surprise by clearing his throat. "Do we have a deal, little man?" He asks, putting his hand out, and Nate bites his lip before he nods and shakes the doctor's hand gently. "Alright!" Travie says and gives him a smile. "I'm gonna go help your friend Alex with an IV, okay?" Travie says and Nate's eyes grow worried again. Travie's smile falters. "You don't like IVs either, do you?" He asks gently and Nate shakes his head. "This one is just to make sure that Alex isn't getting dehydrated," Travie explains. "Because that's just going to make him feel worse." He turns towards Alex, and gives him a concerned look, to which Alex can only give a helpless shrug. Travie flashes a glance back at Nate, frowning, but then he's smiling again. "Do you want to come and watch me? You can hold Alex's hand for support, if you want." 

Alex clears his throat. "Yeah, I'm a little nervous, buddy." He says and Nate's eyes go big. He nods and pushes himself off Gabe's bed and walks over to Alex's bed, climbing on and sitting next to him. Travie smiles. "Alright, we're good to go." He says, sitting back down in his chair. He holds up another wipe. "Do you remember what this is?" He asks and Nate nods. Travie waits for a moment, but Nate doesn't say anything. "Okay, good," Travie finally says and wipes the back of Alex's hand. "And now that he's all sterilized, we put the IV in." Nate tenses up and grips tight to Alex's hand. Alex bites his lip so he doesn't laugh. Nate is squeezing his hand so tight. "Now," Travie says, reaching over for something, "I'm gonna tape it in place so it doesn't move." Travie says, putting medical tape over the IV. See? Not so bad, right?" He asks. 

Nate frowns at it before giving a little shrug. He releases Alex's hand and slowly gets off the bed. "You should probably try and sleep," Travie says to Alex. "The sedative should wear off within the next few hours, but it'll help you sleep in the meantime." Alex nods and glances towards Nate, who's looking at Travie's other supplies and glancing at Gabe. "I'm worried about the kid." He tells Travie quietly. Travie follows his gaze and then leans in closer to Alex. "I am, too," he says softly. "Can you shed any light on what, exactly, I should be worried about?" 

Alex sighs. "I only know some of it from Gabe, and he doesn't even know all of it." He says. "Nate was being kept locked up in a lab at that research place. We don't know for how long or what all they did to him, but he's scared of needles and pills." Travie's expression darkens. "There's any number of things they could have been doing," he mutters. "But he seems physically fine, so we can avoid pills and needles for now. Is there anything that calms him down?" Alex's mouth quirks up in a smile. "Gabe," he says. 

"Ah" Travie says and glances towards Nate again, who's hovering around Gabe again. "I see" He says, "Well, if he really becomes upset, there's no reason why he can't stay with Gabe" Travie says, "But, I'd prefer if he doesn't disturb the Alpha's sleep." Alex hums. "You might wanna tell him that. He has a habit of cuddling up to him while they sleep." Travie raises an eyebrow. Alex yawns, and shifts slightly to get more comfortable. "Nate gets out of bed and crawls in with Gabe, and Gabe cuddles him and lets him scent and then pretends none of this is going on to me." 

Travie lets out a laugh. "I can see you're very distressed about it" He says sarcastically. Alex shrugs."I just don't get why he pretends it doesn't happen. He's the one that makes it weird." Alex says, yawning. "Alright. Time for you to get some sleep and time for me to deal with the little omega," Travie says briskly, and stands up. "Nate" Travie says gently. The omega is hovering near Gabe's bed. "Gabe really shouldn't have his sleep disturbed right now" He says and Nate steps away from the bed quickly. Travie sighs. "I didn't mean-How about we let them sleep for a while? I'll get someone to get some food for us? You must be hungry." He says. Nate casts a worried glance at Gabe. Travie takes a step forward. "He'll be fine," he says gently to Nate. "You can come back and see him when he's awake. Now, I know some people who can get us some good food. What do you say?" He holds his hand out to Nate. 

Nate glances back at Gabe and then Alex and then Gabe again before he takes Travie's hand, looking shy. Travie leads him out of the infirmary and into the hallway. "What do you like to eat, Nate?" He asks, figuring that's a safe topic. Nate looks up at him and then away. Travie laughs making Nate whip his head back and stare at him incredulously. "You don't talk much you know that?" Travie says and Nate blinks at him. After a second, he nods uncertainly, his shoulders coming up. "Hey, it's not a bad thing," Travie says gently. "But doesn't it get hard not talking?" Nate shakes his head right away. "Okay" Travie says easily. "But how do you let people know what you want?" He asks. Nate shrugs, and doesn't look at him, but he hasn't pulled his hand out of Travie's. "You can't get what you want if you never tell anyone," Travie says carefully. 

Nate just shrugs again. Travie suppresses a snort. "I guess I'll just have to guess your favorite food then" He teases lightly. He leads Nate around the corner and down another hallway. "We're going to skip the cafeteria and go right into the kitchen, okay?" Travie says. "That way we can get them to make whatever you want." Nate nods and they walk in mostly silence to the kitchen, Travie sometimes pointing out what a different room is for. They arrive quickly and are greeted by the noisy bustle of the kitchen. Nate grips Travie's hand tighter. "It's okay," Travie says, moving a little closer to Nate. "We'll get you something to eat and then we can go somewhere quieter." 

Nate nods and Travie leads him over to a counter next to the fridge. "What do you want?" Travie asks, opening up the fridge for them to look inside as a couple of the guys in the kitchen look over at them curiously, "We've got stuff to make sandwiches, hamburgers-, I think we have some chicken left, we have Mac and cheese-" Travie trails off, turning towards Nate. Nate stares into the fridge, and Travie sighs a little. "Do you want any of those? The Mac and cheese is really good if you like that." Nate tilts his head. "We have stuff in the freezer too." One of the guys near the stove calls over to them. Travie nods and dutifully opens the freezer. Nate's gaze instantly goes to the ice cream and Travie laughs.

"You've at least got to have dinner before dessert" He says and Nate blinks before looking again. He points to something and Travie takes a look before he laughs. "I should have guessed!" He says, "You wanna have pizza?" He takes the pizza out of the freezer and Nate touches the box, frowning at it. "Is there something wrong with it?" Travie asks him gently and Nate drops his hand, shaking his head. "It's okay if there is," Travie tells him, "Some people are very against frozen pizza." He says, grinning at Nate and Nate just blinks at him. Travie clears his throat. "Well, if this is what you want to have, I'll have the guys put it in the oven for you?" He asks. Nate looks around at the other guys and then gives a little nod. Travie watches him for another moment, and then turns towards one of the other guys. "Hey, can you get this in the oven?" 

One of the guys glances at them. "For the little guy? No problem" He says and grabs the pizza from Travie. "Thanks" Travie says and glances at Nate, who's looking around with big eyes. "Do you want me to show you around?" Travie asks, and Nate's gaze flicks to him. He shrugs. Travie puts his hands in his pockets. "Or we can stay here and wait, if you want." Nate glances at the guys working in the kitchen before he shakes his head. Travie grins. "Okay, why don't I show you around then? You probably don't like new places." He says gently and Nate shrugs again, but looks out the doorway. "We can go and look around and come back when your pizza is ready," Travie says, and after a moment, Nate takes Travie's hand. 

Travie tries not to let his pleased surprise show on his face and he leads Nate out of the room. He shows the young omega around their base, narrating the whole time. Nate keeps looking around every room they step in to with huge eyes and occasionally he'll point to things for Travie to explain. It's kind of endearing, but at the same time, makes Travie wonder how long the kid had been hidden away somewhere if he didn't know some of the most basic things in the house. He shows Nate the bedroom he'll be staying in, a small but comfortable room with one bed and Nate turns huge, frightened eyes on him. "What's wr-" Travie starts to ask and then recalls Alex's comments about Nate's sleeping habits.

"It's okay" Travie says as soothing as he can, "Your friends, Gabe and Alex, are gonna be staying in the rooms right next to yours." He says and then hesitates before saying. "I'm sure you can stay with one of them if you want though" Nate relaxes, and Travie breathes a private sigh of relief. "Come on, I bet your pizza is done by now." He tugs on Nate's hand gently and they make their way back to the kitchen. Travie can hear Nate's stomach rumble as they walk in the room and can smell the pizza. "Yours is over there." One of the guys says, pointing to the pizza and a couple plates off to the side. "Be careful though, it's still hot." He says and Travie thanks him. Nate fidgets restlessly and Travie grabs their food. "How about we go back up to your friends, huh?" 

Nate nods quickly, and bounces restlessly on the balls of his feet as Travie picks up a couple of water bottles. "They're not going anywhere," Travie says with an amused smile. He hip checks the fridge shut and comes over to Nate. "They're both still asleep." Nate huffs and Travie laughs, handing him the water bottles. "Oh! The boy's got some attitude. I like it! Tell me how you really feel" Travie teases and Nate ducks his head. Travie taps him on the shoulder. "I'm just teasing you, Nate. Let's go see how those two are doing."


	9. 9

Do you have any ideas for that and should we skip to when they actually wake up? 

I was thinking we could skip to when they wake up and like Nate's reaction is adorable when he sees Gabe start to stir because he just climbs the bed and hugs him tight. 

aww yes like Travie tries to get him involved in some activity but Nate just wants to stay and wait for them to wake up.

yes exactly! like I can see Travie trying to explain a card game to him and Nate just glances at Gabe and then gasps and runs up to his bed and clambers on, hugging Gabe as he wakes up and is like "Hey, Natey" in a rough voice.

And Travie's immediately up like "Nate, give him some space," but Nate just whines and Gabe whispers, "It's okay. He missed me." and tries to get his sleep heavy arms around Nate.

Nate nuzzles Gabe's neck and Travie shakes his head walking over. "Then I'll try to take your vitals around him then?" Travie asks and Gabe nods. "Are you feeling normal again? Any signs of rut?" Travie asks, and Gabe shakes his head. "Good" Travie says and starts to check Gabe out, listening to his heart and lungs taking his blood pressure. "How's Alex doing?" Gabe asks as the doctor works, idly rubbing Nate's back. "I put him on an IV to keep him hydrated and he's sleeping off the effects of the sedative. It seems like they gave him an abnormally high dose," Travie says, pausing for a moment to look over at Alex before he turns his gaze back on Gabe. "What did they want with you?" Gabe's mouth tightens. "I don't really know everything, but-" His gaze slides to Nate, who's still scenting him for all he's worth. Carefully, Gabe puts his hands over Nate's ears. "They were super into breeding Nate," he whispers quickly and releases an unhappily squirming Nate. 

Travie's eyes bug out. "What? H-How?" He asks, voice tinged with anger and disbelief. He glances at Nate. "Is he even old enough to get-" He trails off. "Only technically," Gabe says grimly, and strokes Nate's hair. "He had his first heat about three and a half weeks ago." "Jesus" Travie mutters and looks disgusted. "Yeah" Gabe says. "That's about all I know," Gabe admits after a few seconds. "I mean, Nate was in there before that, and I was trying to break him out. But I don't know what they were doing to him." Nate whimpers and presses his face even harder into Gabe's neck. Gabe hushes him and strokes his back gently. "Don't worry, Nate, we won't talk about it anymore." Travie says gently but shares a look with Gabe. Gabe gives him a little nod, and then looks down at Nate. "So what did you do while I was asleep?" He asks. "Were you okay without me and Alex?"

To Gabe's surprise, Nate pauses for a minute before he nods a tiny bit and Travie laughs. "I showed him around the place and made sure he ate something, that way he wasn't so worried and hanging around your bed, waiting for you to wake up." Travie tells him. Gabe looks up at him, fingers tightening on Nate's back for a second. Then he relaxes, and smiles. "I'm glad you found something to do," he says. "That reminds me! Nate-" Travie says, looking at his watch, "It's only been about three hours and Gabe is already awake." He says, smiling at the young omega. Gabe frowns down at Nate. Nate peeks up at Travis before he sighs and sits up all the way. He holds his hand up and Travie high fives him. Gabe gapes at them in surprise. Travie smiles wide at Nate. "And?" He teases and Nate huffs. "You were right, Dr. Travie" He says quietly and Travie laughs. "He can speak!" He says and Nate ducks a little, "Alright, alright" Travie says putting his hand up, "Now that you've made good on your bet, I'm still gonna go find some candy or something, okay?" He says and Nate nods. "You can show Gabe to his room, if you want. You remember where it is?" Travie asks. Nate nods again, and Travie smiles. "Good. I'll bring your candy up after I get it, okay?" 

Nate nods, giving Travis a small smile, and Travie nods back before he turns to check on Alex. Gabe shifts on the bed. He's tense for some reason but doesn't have time to think about it when Nate turns to him with questioning eyes. "Yeah, we can go." Gabe says. Nate slides off the bed and Gabe follows, stretching gratefully. "Feels good to not be in rut," he says, and Travis looks over at him, laughing a little. "I bet it does," he says. Gabe reaches for Nate's hand, but Nate moves towards the door. Gabe frowns, but follows. Gabe falls into step next to Nate as they walk down the hallway. "You seem to get along really well with the doctor." Gabe says and Nate shrugs. "Nice" He says softly. "That's good," Gabe says, but Nate doesn't answer him. "So, are you doing okay, then? You feel good?" Nate doesn't even look at him, and starts to walk a little faster as they get to the stairs. Gabe frowns. "Natey? Are you okay?" Nate gives a short nod, but takes the stairs so fast Gabe actually has to break into a little bit of a jog to keep up with him. "Nate, what's wrong?" 

Nate doesn't respond, just continues down the hallway. "Hey! Hey!" Gabe says, confused, catching his wrist and Nate tugs it away. Gabe frowns. Nate won't look at him. "Natey, please tells me what's going on." Gabe begs. Nate fumbles open the door to one of the rooms. "Yours," he says in a tiny voice and tries to rush into his own room. "Nate-" Gabe starts, reaching out for Nate and then stopping when he sees the tears running down Nate's cheeks. Gabe's heart twists in his chest. "Nate," He says softly, "Please let me help fix whatever is wrong." He says. "No!" Nate cries, and jerks away from Gabe. He pulls at the doorknob of his room, but it won't open, and he kicks at it in frustration. "Come on, please," Gabe says desperately. "I want to help you. Tell me what's wrong." Nate gives up on the door and turns away. "You left!" Gabe freezes. "I-Natey-" He says, voice soft and Nate sniffles. "No!" He cries. "I only left because I was trying to keep you safe. I told you that. I left you a note," Gabe says desperately. 

"Hurt!" Nate cries and the word makes it hard for Gabe to breathe. He reaches out to the omega but Nate flinches away and spins around. He's crying so hard and it's all Gabe's fault. "Go away!" Nate sobs. He may as well have plunged his hand into Gabe's chest and ripped his heart out. "Natey, I didn't mean to hurt you. I thought you'd be okay with Alex," he says feebly and tries to blink away his tears. Nate sinks down onto the floor, hugging himself. "N-needed _you!_ " He hiccups out. Gabe kneels next to him, swiping at his eyes. "Natey, I'm sorry!" He says, "I thought I could protect you from getting hurt if I left." He tries and Nate shakes his head, tears running down his cheeks. "I really, really did," Gabe says softly. "I promise, I never would have left you if I didn't absolutely think I had to and I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm so, so sorry. I never meant to. I didn't know how badly you needed me, okay? But now I know, and I promise, I won't ever leave you again." Nate sniffles, looking miserably at Gabe, before he ducks his head, resting it on his knees. "I'm not going to leave. I'm going to stay here, with you. Because-because you're my little omega," Gabe says, almost pleading. "I only ever wanted to keep you safe, but I couldn't, and I'm sorry." Nate doesn't look up and Gabe bites his lip. "Natey, I'm sorry." He chokes out. "I would have given anything for you to never go in that cell again." He says, breath hitching in the middle of the sentence and Gabe can feel tears start to fall onto his cheeks. Nate finally looks up at him. "Gabe?" He asks, voice tinged with panic. Gabe's next breath turns into an ugly sob. His vision won't clear no matter how hard he blinks, so all he can see is the blurry shape of Nate in front of him, shifting agitatedly. "I'm so sorry." Gabe manages to choke out before he has a lapful of omega. Nate's whimpering, pushing into Gabe's neck like he wants to scent before abruptly pulling back and nuzzling his face instead. He wraps his arms around Gabe's neck and clings so tightly it makes it hard for Gabe to breathe, but in such a good way Gabe can't even care. His arms wrap around Nate, hating the way the little omega is trembling. "I'm so sorry," he whispers. Nate just nuzzles against Gabe's cheek and Gabe turns his head into Nate's neck, scenting him. Nate makes a surprised noise and goes almost still except for the trembling. Gabe inhales and holds Nate tighter. He smells clean and sweet, and Gabe's missed it more than he can admit even to himself. Nate slowly relaxes and Gabe holds him tight until he starts to feel like he's calmed down. "I'm sorry, Natey," he whispers, before pulling back. Nate sniffles, eyes swollen and red, but he's still got a death grip on Gabe, and right now that's a victory. After a few more minutes, they can hear voices coming from down the hall and Nate whimpers. Gabe rubs his back. "Do you wanna go into one of our rooms?" He asks quietly and Nate nods. Gabe tightens his grip on Nate and stands up, bracing himself against the wall. Nate clings to him tight as Gabe goes into the room that's been designated as his. He closes the door behind him and Nate relaxes slightly, laying his head on Gabe's shoulder. "Are you tired?" Gabe asks him. "We can lay down, if you want." There's a couple minutes of stillness before Nate nods and Gabe carries him over to the bed. He sits down carefully until he can stretch out with Nate still comfortably in his arms. Nate snuggles into him, settling his head in the crook of Gabe's neck to scent; the weight so warm and familiar and comforting Gabe almost wants to cry all over again. "I'm sorry they put you in with me while I was in rut," he says after a minute. Nate peers up at him and Gabe strokes his hair back. "That wasn't something you should have been forced to see." Gabe says, "I'm sorry you had to," Nate sighs. "Not scary," he says, and Gabe frowns. "What do you mean, Natey? What's not scary?" Nate blinks up at him. "Your rut," he says and turns his head to scent again. "Good alpha." Gabe barely suppresses his snort, feeling strangely like a dog being praised before Nate's words sink in and his chest gets tight. He looks down at the little omega, letting a wave of affection and protectiveness wash over him as Nate snuffles against his neck. Gabe doesn't mean to, but Nate's warm against him and they're finally safe and some of that emergency suppressant must still be in his system because he falls asleep within ten minutes.

Idk if we wanna move on?

Yeah I think we can move on. Did you have any ideas? 

I don't know I have some really vague ideas about the next part like they have to find Nate and Gabe and Alex a permanent place to stay and like fake identities and they get some stuff from Alex's house and idk I feel like they end up with several other people. Also Travie insists on putting Nate on heat suppressants but Nate tries to refuse and bawls because he doesn't want a needle anywhere near him and it's a disaster and Travie's space is in shambles before Nate tires himself out and cries exhaustedly into Gabe's chest and Gabe holds him and soothes him while Travie injects him. Also Nate eventually having to go to School. Did you have anything?

I love all of that!!! and idk I just really want a scene where Travie is horrified to find out that Nate can't read and Gabe and Alex hadn't realized he couldn't either. 

ooh yeah I was thinking about that too because I have a feeling Nate's been in the lab for a really big portion of his life and of course they weren't interested in teaching him to read and maybe Travie tries to have him read something and Nate just looks at him with a vaguely panicked expression. 

Yes! like maybe Travie or someone asks him to spell his name so they can get his fake ID papers and stuff and Nate just looks at him all confused and Travie frowns. "You can write it down, if you want," he offers, and Nate looks at him like a deer in the headlights. "Nate... do you know how to spell your name?" Travis asks slowly. Nate drops his head, curling in on himself. "No," he says in a tiny voice. Alex and Gabe share a worried look over Nate's head before Gabe comes forward. "It's okay, Natey, you can learn." He says and Travis clears his throat. "Nate, do you know anything to do with letters or words?" He asks, voice gentle but his shoulders tense. "Alphabet" Nate offers and Gabe smiles at him. Travis nods and then stands up. "Gabe, can I talk to you for a second?" "Yeah, sure," Gabe says, and squeezes Nate's shoulder as he stands. "We'll be right back, okay? You just stay here with Alex." Nate nods, and Gabe smiles at him again before Travis takes him out into the hallway and shuts the door. Gabe's smile immediately drops off his face. "I had no idea," he says tensely. 

"He knows his alphabet. He doesn't even know how to spell his own name!" Travie says, horrified, and Gabe winces. "I know. He-he was supposed to go to school. How will he now that he can't even read?" Travis sighs and scrubs a hand over his face. "We'll have to explain the situation to someone and get him a tutor first but-" Travie glances towards the door. "I'm equally worried about what this means for Nate's past." He says and Gabe frowns. "It means he's probably been in that lab since he was six." "He never talks about his past," Gabe says quietly, and Travie sighs again before leaning towards Gabe. "That's another thing I'm worried about. Gabe, he hardly talks at all. That's not normal." "I know" Gabe says miserably. "I don't know how to help him." "I think he needs to see someone," Travie says gently, and Gabe looks up at him. Travis rubs the back of his neck. "A psychiatrist can help him much better than you or I can," he explains. "And I just think Nate would benefit from it. He's obviously hurting, and now we find out he doesn't even know how to read. Whatever they were doing to him in that lab- he can't keep it bottled up." 

Gabe bites his lip. "I know. I think so too. I just don't know if he'll go for that. He already wasn't real impressed with the school idea" "That's why I want you to tell him," Travis says. Gabe gapes at him. "Why me?" He asks, and Travis just stares at him. "He likes you more than anyone, Gabe. He'll be more likely to accept it from you. We can wait a couple weeks, until he's settled with a tutor, but I think you should bring it up to him as soon as possible to get him used to the idea." Gabe sighs and pinches between his eyes. "Yeah, okay" He concedes and Travis nods. "Also, while we look for a tutor, I think someone should start going over the alphabet with him, make sure he really knows it, and someone should start reading to him." Travie says. "I suppose that should be me, too," Gabe says, and Travis shrugs. "You or Alex, and I can do some. I just think-" Gabe folds his arms, suddenly annoyed. "No, I can do it. I'm here all day with him, and it'll be good."

Travis blinks. "Gabe, I never said you couldn't" He says, frowning, "I didn't want it to seem as if you were the only one responsible for taking care of him" He says and Gabe surprises himself by nearly growling at the doctor. He swallows hard. "I am responsible for taking care of him." He says. Travis looks at him oddly. "Yeah, of course, but he's not solely your responsibility. There's other people here to help." Gabe swallows his anger and forces some deep breaths. "He's not a burden, that's all," he finally says. "Of course not" Travis says, still looking at Gabe with a strange expression. "Okay," Gabe says. "I just-okay. We'll get him everything he needs and he'll be okay." Travie's expression shifts and he puts a hand on Gabe's shoulder. "He's going to be just fine. You don't need to worry about him," he says softly. Gabe blinks. "I always worry about him" He says.


	10. 10

Okay I don't know where to take this scene but I feel like the first time Nate goes to see whoever they find to be his therapist, it's a huge disaster because he didn't want to go in and be by himself with her and then she keeps asking him questions he doesn't want to answer and the session ends up getting cut short because Nate's in tears and won't say a single word to her anyway. 

yes! and I can see Nate already not wanting to go, so Gabe is kinda tugging him by the hand through the therapists office and they get to her door and she smiles warmly at them and gestures them in while talking on the phone. Nate doesn't move so Gabe gives him a little nudge and Nate huffs but walks forward a little before he realizes Gabe isn't following him in and he frowns turning around and reaching for Gabe's hand. (I 100% still wanna talk about Travie giving Nate a shot at some point lol)

(yes me too) Gabe pulls his hand away from Nate's. "Sorry, Natey, but I'm not allowed to go in. I'm not your parent or legal guardian, and this stuff is confidential, which means no one except you and Dr. Sarah can know," he explains gently, but Nate's face still falls. He tries to reach for Gabe's hand again, and when that doesn't work, he makes a grab for Gabe's shirt. Gabe reflexively takes a step backward, and Nate makes a distressed noise.

"Natey-" Gabe says sympathetically. "Is something wrong?" Dr. Sarah's voice asks from behind Nate and Nate freezes. Gabe clears his throat. "He, um. doesn't want me to leave" He says and Sarah nods. "Nate, unfortunately, your friend Gabe can't be in the room while we're talking, which I know sucks if you're feeling a little nervous or scared." She says. Nate doesn't respond. "He can sit right outside the door if that makes you feel more comfortable?" She continues. Nate nods right away, but keeps his eyes on Gabe. Gabe tries to smile at him. "It'll be fine, Natey. I'll be right outside the whole time, I promise." Dr. Sarah extends her hand towards Nate. "You'll be able to see him when we're done." she says warmly. Nate doesn't even look at her, still watching Gabe, and Gabe gives him a look before he steps out of the room and shuts the door. Nate stares at it. Sarah bites her lip. "Nate" She says gently, "Why don't you come sit down? We don't even have to talk yet" She barters and Nate blinks, nodding a little, before he turns and sits down on the chair hesitantly. 

"That's good," She says, giving him an encouraging smile, but Nate just looks down at his lap and digs his fingers into his jeans. Sarah settles herself in the chair facing him, not the one behind her desk, but it doesn't make him feel any better. The doctor watches him for a few moments before she speaks again. "You know, your friend Gabe out there is very concerned about you" She says and Nate frowns at his lap. Sarah waits a minute before she continues. "That's why he wanted you to come talk to me" Nate looks up before he can help himself, shaking his head. Sarah nods at him. "He cares about you very much, and he wants to help you." Nate just stares at her and Sarah suppresses a sigh and continues. "Now, Gabe told me a little bit, but I'd rather hear about you from you" She says. Nate's shoulders scrunch and she holds up her hands. "Don't worry; we'll start with easy things. Like your name. So you're Nate, right?" Nate narrows his eyes and eyes her, but slowly nods. Sarah leans forward a little, uncrossing her legs. "And is that your whole name? Do you have a middle name? Or a last name? Is Nate short for anything?" 

Nate can remember overhearing doctors talking about him while he was in the cell with them, N.N written on top of the papers they wrote on after they poked him with needles. Nate shrugs at Sarah. Her smile doesn't waver. "That's okay if you don't know. Do you know how old you are?" Nate turns in his chair, tucking his feet up against his body and not looking at Sarah. The doctors were so excited when he turned twelve, whispering to each other and making Nate want to crawl under his blanket. By the time he turned thirteen, the excitement had waned into low grade anticipation and annoyance, acting like he was purposely not presenting. They were rougher with him, making careless mistakes when they jabbed him with needles, and forcing him to swallow pills that had him convulsing on the bed, tongues of flame licking at his body while he cries in agony. In some little ways, it was a relief when he presented as an omega, because the doctors were pleased. But then-he shudders. "What are you thinking about?" Sarah asks, and Nate jumps. 

He had forgotten he was here, in this doctor's office, for a second. Nate frowns at her. He doesn't like that. Sarah tilts his head. "You seemed really lost in the thought and you looked upset" She says. He shakes his head and turns himself so he's even further away from her. He hears her make a sympathetic noise, but he's not fooled. "It's okay to be upset," she says, and when he doesn't respond to that, she adds, "Sometimes it helps to tell someone what you're thinking about." Nate wants to laugh and cry at the same time. There's no way that would help him. He wants to leave and go back home with Gabe. Sarah studies him for a few seconds. "Okay" She says finally, "We don't have to talk about it right now. We can talk about something else." She says. "Is there anything you wanna talk about? Even if it's just that you hate this, you can be honest. I promise I won't get mad or anything like that" 

He shakes his head. She's just another doctor, and the best way to deal with them is to keep quiet and wait for them to go away. She sighs softly. "Maybe less about you, then. How do you feel about your friend Gabe?" That makes Nate start. He flicks his eyes to the doctor and then the door before he shrugs again. Sarah bites her lip before she speaks again, choosing her words carefully. "Gabe told me that you and him bonded really fast because you went through something bad together" She says. Nate starts to feel like he can't breathe. He doesn't want the doctor to know about his heat or Gabe. The doctors only ever wanted to hurt him, and she's using Gabe just like the other doctors did when they put Gabe into rut. "Nate?" The doctors voice is soft and sweet and Nate just knows it's all a lie. "Hey, we don't have to talk about any of that! I didn't mean to make you upset. I'm sorry" Sarah says and she feels so guilty when Nate's eyes fill with tears. Nate buries his face in his hands and inhales a shaky breath. Sarah pushes her chair away from her desk. "Nate? Do you want me to go and get Gabe?" Nate makes a little whimper before he can help himself. "Okay, okay," She says and pulls the door open. A moment later, someone kneels in front of him. "Hey, Natey, what's wrong?" Gabe asks softly. 

Nate flings his arms around Gabe's neck, clinging to him as tears start to fall down his cheeks. "Hey, shhhh" Gabe says, rubbing his back and looking at Sarah, confused. She gives him a frantic look and shrugs. "Should I take you home?" Gabe asks, still looking up at Sarah. She bites her lip but nods, and Nate nods against Gabe's neck. "Okay, we'll do that," Gabe says. "It's okay, Natey." It takes a couple minutes for Nate to calm down, but eventually he pulls back from Gabe a little. Gabe pats his back. "You ready to go?" He asks and Nate nods, wiping his eyes with his sleeve until Sarah offers him a tissue. "I'm really sorry, Nate. I didn't mean to upset you like that" She says softly and Nate sniffles and nods. He just wants to go home. Gabe gives Nate one last hug and then stands up, pulling Nate with him. "We'll try again in a couple weeks. It's not your fault," he whispers. Sarah just nods, and looks down at Nate. "I'm really sorry," she says again. Nate just looks up miserably for a second before he buries his face in Gabe's side. Sarah looks to Gabe who nods. "We'll talk later" He whispers and Sarah nods before she shows them out. Nate keeps himself tucked into Gabe's side the whole way out to the car, and Gabe has to physically pick Nate up and put him in the passenger seat of the car.

Gabe gets him buckled in and then strokes his fingers through Nate's hair. "You wanna talk about what happened in there?" He asks gently. Nate shakes his head. "That's okay," Gabe says. "Do you want to go and eat? You've never had fast food, but we could introduce you." Nate shrugs. He just wants to go home. Gabe sighs. "How about we go through the drive through and get lunch for all go us? Alex will hate it" He says conspiratorially. Nate perks up a little bit, and Gabe laughs. "I knew you'd like that. And don't worry, we don't have to go inside. I'll go through a drive thru."

okay so I keep thinking that they go somewhere and Gabe gets Nate a happy meal/kids meal from wherever and they bring it back and they start to eat, despite Alex's gross faces, Nate is super confused about the toy inside which is like a little stuffed animal key chain but he becomes super protective of it because he's never had a toy before. 

awww that's the cutest thing like Gabe has to explain that little toys come with the happy meal and Nate doesn't really get it but he immediately becomes attached to it and names it. 

Yes! like I can see him pull the plastic wrapped toy out and hold it up in confusion and Alex is like "What'd you get, buddy?" and Nate frowns and holds it out to him and Gabe and Gabe's like "No, it's yours! It comes with your meal. Go ahead and open it" and Nate gives him a strange look, but does it and a little turtle plus key chain falls into his palm. He blinks at it, and then holds it out towards Gabe and Alex again. "It's a little turtle," Alex says, and Nate retracts his hand, frowning down at it. "Turtle?" He asks.

"Yeah, like one in Finding Nemo" Gabe says and Nate nods, recognition dawning as he remembers the movie they watched a few weekends ago. He studies the toy intently. Alex and Gabe exchange a look. "It's just a little plush toy, Natey. You don't have to keep it if you don't want to" Gabe says and Nate closes his hand around it tight. "Keep," he says. Gabe nods. "Or you can keep it," Gabe says quickly. "It's yours, Natey. Whatever you want to do with it." Nate opens his hand and peers down at the toy. "Mine," he says happily and closes his hand around it again. Alex smiles at him. "You could give it a name if you wanted." He says and ignores Gabe's laugh. "I used to do that with all my toys" Alex tells Nate. Nate cups the toy in his hands, bringing it close to his face. He stares at it, face creased in concentration before announcing, "Tara." "Tara the Turtle" Gabe says, nodding, "I like it!" He says and Alex hums in agreement. Nate beams and clutches his little toy tight. 

And then do you think he starts carrying the turtle around with him everywhere?

yeah like he keeps it in his pocket or maybe like Alex points out that it's on a keychain so he starts to clip it to his backpack or his key to the apartment or something.

aww yes and he's so attached to it and it's really endearing but also makes Gabe sad because Nate's never had any toys of his own before. 

yes and maybe him and Alex start talking about saving up money to buy Nate a ton of toys for Christmas since he's clearly never had a good one? 

yes I agree because maybe Nate's really enamored with the idea of Christmas? Like they watch the polar express or something and Nate's eyes are glued to the screen and they end up hanging Christmas lights on the walls in the apartment because it makes Nate happy and Alex and Gabe decide that they have to give Nate the best Christmas. also I keep thinking about this unrelated idea where Nate's being tutored in reading and writing and he learns how to write his name and his tutor has him write it on his homework and Nate doesn't get why and they explain that you write your name on things that are yours and the next morning Gabe wakes up to 'NATE' sloppily scrawled on his arm in sharpie marker. 

yes! like Nate loves the snow and pretty lights and in the movies everyone seems so happy and Alex and Gabe plan a huge Christmas celebration where Alex has Nate help him make cookies and they put up a tree and lights and all that. And omg Nate writing his name on Gabe's arm is the most adorable thing ever!!

and they exchange gifts and Nate gets the most of course and he's so excited and happy he's almost crying. and I can do see Gabe hiding the fact that Nate wrote his name on him from Alex because Alex will go back to his "You're his Alpha" spiel and the whole thing makes Gabe really secretly happy but then I feel like he finds out Nate wrote his name on Travie's palm and suddenly it's not so great anymore.

omg yes and I can see it happening when Travie says something like "Well, I am your doctor after all" when he's giving Nate a check up, so Nate writes his name on Travie because Travie is /his/ doctor, but Gabe sees it and totally misunderstands and he's just annoyed all day. 

yes!! Gabe sees it after the checkup when Travie brings Nate back out to the waiting room and Travie goes to shake his hand and Gabe sees it and his stomach twists sourly and his mood immediately drops and when they get home Gabe just wants to lay in bed and Nate's unhappy because he knows Gabe is upset but he doesn't have any idea what's wrong.

ooh yeah! and maybe it's the first time Nate's seen Gabe so mad/upset and when they get home Gabe just shuts himself in his room and Nate is super concerned and unhappy because he can't figure out why Gabe is acting like this and I can see him whining outside of Gabe's door or maybe if Alex is hime, Alex tells him to wait until he's cooled off and then he brings Gabe dinner or something?

I love the idea of him whining outside of Gabe's door, like he's pacing back and forth and then he sinks down and leans against it and when Alex gets home from work, he asks what's going on and Nate whimpers "Gabe's angry" and Alex immediately frowns. "He's angry with you?" He asks incredulously. Nate lifts one shoulder in a shrug. "I don't know," he whispers. Alex frowns at the door. "I doubt he's angry with you, buddy" He says and knocks on it. There's no answer. "Gabe?" He calls, knocking around. "Go away, Alex!" comes through muffled and Nate whines again. "What are you doing in there?" Alex calls, but Gabe doesn't answer. Alex jiggles the doorknob, but it's unsurprisingly locked. "You're such a-" He glances at Nate. "Just open the door." No response. Alex growls under his breath, and then suddenly straightens up. Nate looks at him curiously, but Alex only puts a finger to his lips and hurries into the kitchen. He opens a drawer and and pulls out the master key.

Alex hurries back to Gabe's door with the key and Nate watches him curiously as he puts it in the lock and turns it slowly. It clicks and Alex does a fist pump in victory before he swings the door open. Gabe yanks his sleeve down and bolts upright on the bed. "What the fuck? That door was locked for a reason" he snaps, but Alex doesn't take any notice. He puts his hand out to hold Nate back from running into the room. "I'm gonna talk to him first, okay buddy? You just wait out here," he says gently. Nate looks past him to Gabe, but nods. Alex steps into the room all the way and shuts the door. "I told you to go away" Gabe growls and Alex rolls his eyes. "Why? So you can go back to moping in your bed like an emotional teenager?" He asks. "I'm not moping," Gabe says indignantly. Alex squints at him. "You're laying in bed being miserable for no reason. You shut Nate out and he's probably been whining at the door for you like a sad little puppy the whole time I've been gone. What's your problem?" Gabe presses two fingers to his forearm and then drops his hand when he sees Alex looking. "Nothing. I just want to be alone," he says, but Alex is already reaching for him. 

"Alex!" Gabe says warningly, but Alex catches hold of his arm and pushes his sleeve up. The 'Nate' written in crooked handwriting is still there even if it's a little faded and Gabe yanks his arm out of Alex's grasp. Alex gapes at him. "Are you kidding me?" "I don't want to talk about it," Gabe says sullenly, and tries to turn away. Alex grabs him by the shoulder. "You're miserable because... why, exactly? Not touching anything else, I would think you'd be overjoyed that Nate wrote his name on you." Gabe growls. "It's not-It's nothing" He says and Alex scuffs. "Sure, I believe it's 'nothing' because you've been sulking in your room while Nate is almost in tears outside your door because he thinks you're mad at him." "Of course I'm not mad at him," Gabe says. "He didn't do anything wrong." Alex just stares at him. "Well, he doesn't know that. Every time you get upset and you treat him differently, he thinks it's because he did something. And if he didn't do anything, then why are you sulking in here?" 

"I'm not sulking" Gabe insists, "Nothing happened I just took Nate for a checkup with Travie and-" Alex's snort cuts him off. "Of course you saw Travie" He says shaking his head with a knowing expression. Gabe frowns. "What's that supposed to mean?" "Nothing at all," Alex says, and Gabe turns all the way around to stare at him. "No, it obviously means something to you. Why do you think this has anything to do with Travie?" Alex sighs. "Because you get all weird whenever we talk to the guy, Gabe!" He says. "I get all weird around him? How do I get all weird around him?" Gabe asks. Alex sits on the bed. "You really wanna know? I bet you went to the office today and Nate had written his name on Travie and it put you into a horrible mood and that's why you're sulking in here." Gabe tenses and looks away. "No" He says weakly and Alex gapes at him. "Seriously?" He says incredulously. Gabe groans. "Can't you just stay out of it?" "I can't believe you," Alex says. "I mean, actually, I can, but Gabe, that's ridiculous." 

"It's more complicated than that!" Gabe protests and Alex raises an eyebrow. "Yeah? Did you ask Nate about it? See if he thinks it's really complicated?" He asks. "What am I supposed to say? Hey, Nate, I noticed that you wrote your name on Travie's hand and I wanted to know why you did that? I mean, he obviously did it for the same reason he wrote his name on me," Gabe flops back on the bed and puts his hands over his face. Alex stares at him for a second before standing up. "You're pathetic. I'm gonna make dinner, and talk to Nate, and I hope by the time it's finished, you're done sulking and can talk to Nate like the adult you supposedly are." 

Gabe makes a noise and Alex slips out the door. Nate is right in front of him in a second, looking to push past him and see Gabe. Alex puts a hand on his shoulder. "He's being stupid right now, buddy. He's not mad at you though, don't worry." "Gabe?" Nate asks, straining up on his toes to try and see over Alex's shoulder. Alex pushes him back gently and shuts the door with his other hand. "How about you help me with dinner?" Nate whines. "Believe me Nate, you don't want to see him right now." Alex says but Nate pushes against him. "Look, if you help me make dinner, you can bring Gabe a plate and see him" Alex says. "Now," Nate says, and Alex sighs. "Hey, Nate, can I just ask you a question?" Nate stops pushing against him and steps back before he nods. "Why did you write your name on Travie?" Alex asks, and Nate blinks at him. "My doctor," he says. 

Alex blinks. "Yes?" He says and Nate tilts his head. "/My/ doctor" He says again. "Okay." Alex says, "And why did you write on Gabe's arm?" Nate flushes and ducks his head and mumbles something incoherently. Alex frowns at him. "what did you say?" He asks leaning forward. "My-my-Gabe," Nate says, a little louder. Alex nods and smiles a little, "That's what I was thinking" He says, "Well, let's go make some dinner and then you can go in and see him" Nate looks relieved, and Alex puts him to work in the kitchen. Nate complains, but Alex makes him eat before he puts together a plate for Gabe. Alex knocks on Gabe's bedroom door. "I'm sending Nate in," he says, and opens the door. Nate nearly trips trying to get into the room as fast as he can. "Careful!" Alex warns as Nate carries the plate to Gabe on the bed. "Dinner," Nate says nervously, holding the plate out to Gabe. Gabe sighs and takes it from him before he pats the space on the bed next to him. 

Nate clambers onto the bed as Alex leaves and closes the door behind him. Nate watches Gabe intently and Gabe ruffles his hair. "Sorry I made you worry about me, Natey" Gabe says and Nate bites his lip. "Mad?" He asks. Gabe shakes his head and hesitates a second before he sets the plate on the floor and shifts to sit fully on the bed, facing Nate. "I'm not mad at you. It was just something silly." Nate frowns and reaches out for Gabe's arm. "This?' He asks, brushing his fingers over his name. Gabe frowns. "No" He says weakly and Nate rests his head against Gabe's shoulder, tracing the letters with his fingers. "My Gabe" He whispers. Gabe can't breathe properly, but at the same time warmth spreads through him. He's not even thinking about Travie at all, suddenly. "Y-yeah, I'm your Gabe," he manages to get out, and turns to nuzzle into Nate's hair. Nate makes a soft noise. "Your Nate?" 

"Yeah" Gabe says softly, "My Nate, actually-" He leans over, opening the nightstand table and pulls out a pen. He scribbles 'Gabe' on the side of Nate's wrist, while Nate watches with an intense stare. When he's finished, Nate pulls his wrist close to his face to examine it before he breaks into the most radiant smile Gabe has ever seen. "Your Nate," he says happily and then crawls into Gabe's lap, hugging him tight. Gabe hugs him back, burying his face in Nate's hair as he scents at Gabe's neck.


	11. 11

Do you want to talk about him getting a shot now?

yes!! did you have anything specific to happen in mind?

Well I think it happens at one of Nate's checkups and like maybe it's an immunization, maybe that decide that giving Nate an injection of heat suppressants is better than making him take pills everyday but I think Nate just won't cooperate and Travie's never seen him like this and he has to call Gabe back into the room.

yes!! like Travie knows Nate does better when he knows what's going on so he tells him that its just a tiny shot and it will make it so he doesn't get yucky heats for a year while he's taking out the needle, but as soon as Nate sees it he's off the exam table and as far away from Travie as he can get.

And Travie sighs and sets the needle down and says, "Nate, it's just a little shot. You don't want to have another heat, do you?" and Nate's got himself wedged up against the wall in the corner and he's like "N-no" in a teary voice but when Travie comes closer to him tears start to spill down his cheeks. Travie's eyebrows fly up and he raises his hands. "Hey, I don't even have it right now." He says softly, "you can relax" He says but Nate shakes his head, starting to cry harder. "Alright, alright," Travie takes a few steps backwards. "Nate, there's nothing I can do. You either get your shot once a year, or you have to take pills everyday." 

"No!" Nate whines and he sits in his corner, bringing his knees up and burying his face in his arms as he cries. Travie gapes at him, not knowing what to do. He backs up slowly and pokes his head out of the door. "Gabe!" He calls and Gabe is out of his seat and across the room in seconds. "We have a little situation" Travie says. "What's gong on?" Gabe tries to look past him, and Travie steps back to let him in. "Nate's a little upset about getting his shot of suppressants," he explains. "Oh, Natey" Gabe says sympathetically when he sees the omega curled up on the floor. Gabe tries to go near him but Nate jerks away, whimpering. "Hey, hey" Gabe says softly, "It's just me." Nate looks to Travie before he focuses back on Gabe. "No shot," he whimpers. 

"Okay" Gabe says easily, "But then you're gonna have to take pills everyday" He says and Nate hiccups. "No pills!" He cries. "That's why we thought you'd like the shot better. You only get it once and that's it for a whole year," Travie says, but Nate shakes his head. Gabe puts his hands in his lap. "Natey, you can't just not take suppressants. You'll go into heat." Nate lifts his chin. "Okay," he says in a voice thick with tears. Gabe blinks. "Okay, you'll take the shot?" He asks. Nate shakes his head. "No! Heat." Gabe's heart squeezes. "Oh, Natey, you can't. You're too young to deal with heats." 

"Heat!" Nate says miserably and his eyes start to fill with tears again. "Natey, you can't. It's too hard on your body and you're too young" Gabe says, "I'm sorry. You've gotta take suppressants" He says and Nate shakes his head, crying, and tries to push Gabe away. "Nate, please," Gabe says desperately. "It won't be bad. You'll barely even feel it and I'll hold you the whole time and after it's all done I can take you to get ice cream." "No!" Nate cries, "Don't make me!" He says and Gabe's heart hurts. "I promise, Natey, it won't hurt or anything! Me and Travie wouldn't hurt you" He says, glancing back at the doctor, who's watching them with a pained expression. "We just want to make sure you're as safe as you can possibly be," Travie says, and Gabe nods quickly. "Exactly. We would never, ever do anything to hurt you." 

"No!" Nate cries and Gabe sighs, "Natey" He says in a pleading voice and Nate pushes at him again. "No!" He shrieks and it makes Gabe's blood run cold. Nate's never been that loud before. Gabe sits back, stunned. "Nate," he whispers, but Nate's sobs drown him out. He twists to look helplessly at Travie, who looks slightly shocked himself. Travie shrugs at him, clearly at a loss for what to do. Gabe turns back to Nate and makes soothing noises. "Okay, Natey. We won't give you the shot," Gabe says. Nate shakes his head. "No pills!" He cries wildly. "Shhh," Gabe says, reaching out for the shaking omega. "No pills either. We won't do the pills or the shot. Come here, it's okay." Nate regards him for a moment, sniffling, before he crawls into Gabe's open arms. "There you go," Gabe says, and then throws Travie a look, jerking his head at Nate. Travie's eyes go wide. "Gabe-" He starts, and Gabe shakes his head. "Just do it," he mouths. Travie hesitates before he grabs the syringe and Gabe hugs Nate tight, rubbing his back. "Shh, you're okay" He says and nods to Travie. Travie bites his lip but crouches down next to them and grabs Nate's arm to keep him still. "It's okay," He says softly in response to Nate's whimper. "Everything's fine." He gives Gabe one last look, but Gabe doesn't waver. "Alright," Travie whispers, and presses the needle into Nate's arm. Nate makes a distressed sound and tries to jerk away but Travie and Gabe hold him tight. Travie injects him quickly and removes the needle as gentle as he can, turning around to grab a bandaid as Nate squirms in Gabe's arms, crying loudly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry" Gabe whispers to him as he hugs him. Travie puts the bandaid on and Nate screams, stunning Gabe. "Hey!" Travie booms, and Gabe jumps again, wincing. Nate goes absolutely still, huddling in the circle of Gabe's arms. "Nate, it was just a bandaid," Travie says, lowering his voice. "It's all done. It's all over now." Nate just cries into Gabe's chest and Travie shoots Gabe a guilty look. Gabe winces and rubs Nate's back. "We're sorry, Natey. We had to but we're so sorry" He says. I keep thinking about like after Nate manages to stop crying, he's upset with Gabe and gives him the cold shoulder for the rest of the day and Gabe feels so awful that he just lets him but Nate kind of wants Gabe to come and be pushy and he wants to be held and comforted and to scent and maybe he has a nightmare that night but he goes to Alex instead because of the thing with Gabe but Alex doesn't do things the way Nate likes and he smells all wrong. awww yes like he has a nightmare and he starts to walk into Gabe's room on autopilot before he remembers he's supposed to be mad at Gabe, so he walks back out and sneaks into Alex's room instead. He crawls into his bed, but Alex smells all wrong and doesn't hug him closer all sleepy like Gabe does, he wakes up and looks at Nate completely confused. "What are you doing?" Alex croaks, blinking blearily at him. Nate shuffles closer, wanting comfort. "Bad dream," he says, wrapping his arms around himself. Alex isn't letting him under the covers like Gabe does. Alex blinks at him some more and then props himself up on his elbows. "You want to sleep with me?" He asks, confused. Nate hesitates, biting his lip, before he nods and scoots closer. Alex lets him. He ruffles Nate's hair as he watches him carefully and Nate kind of wants to cry. He likes Alex, but he's not /Gabe/. Alex makes a noise and then sits up quickly. Nate blinks rapidly as Alex gets out of bed and walks around to the other side. "Come here" He says and picks Nate up, much to Nate's surprise. Nate blinks his tears away and lays his head on Alex's shoulder. Alex rubs his back gently, and then starts to carry him out of the room, making Nate jerk upright again. "Don't wanna sleep in my bed," he says, panicked. "Shh, I know" Alex says gently, walking down the hall. "But I also know you don't wanna sleep in my bed" He says and Nate sniffles against his shoulder as Alex walks into Gabe's room. Nate hides his face in Alex's shoulder. "Gabe's mean," he whines, muffled. Alex gives him an exasperated sigh. "I thought he was /your/ Gabe," Alex says to him, and reaches out to shake Gabe awake. Gabe wakes slowly. "Wazzat?" He says, voice rough from sleep and he looks up at Alex and Nate blearily. "I found something of yours" Alex says. Gabe stretches with a groan and shifts over, pushing the covers back before holding his arms up. "C'mere, Natey" he says sleepily, and then shakes his head. "Why do you have him?" He asks, squinting at Alex. "He crawled into my bed on accident" Alex says easily, setting Nate on the edge of the bed. Nate clings to him half heartedly. Gabe rolls onto his side. "Did you have a nightmare?" He asks, soft and sympathetic. Nate bites his lip and nods a tiny bit. He won't look at Gabe. Gabe's heart sinks. He glances at Alex who gives him a murderous look and he swallows. "That was probably really scary, huh?" Gabe says softly and Nate's lower lip quivers. He nods again, slower. Gabe reaches out and touches his arm. "I'm so sorry, Natey," he whispers. Nate still won't look at him but he doesn't jerk away either and Gabe counts it as a small victory. "Natey, I'm so sorry" He repeats and Nate's breath hitches. All it takes us a little nudge from Alex and Nate is folding into Gabe's arms with tears running down his cheeks. "Shhh, I know. It's okay. I'm here," Gabe whispers, wrapping his arms tight around the little omega and rocking him gently. Alex lets out a sigh of relief and nods to Gabe before leaving the room quietly. Gabe just holds Nate close, letting the little omega cry and scent him as he murmurs soothing things. Nate's cries fade until he's just letting out little hitches of breath as he scents. Gabe strokes his hair. "I'm sorry," he whispers again, and Nate makes a noise as he shifts away from Gabe's neck. "Not mad," he mumbles. Gabe smoothes Nate's hair back from his forehead. "I would understand if you still were" He says, "But I'm very happy you're not mad" He says and kisses Nate on the forehead. Nate yawns, and Gabe hums. "Time for us to sleep," he says, and Nate doesn't protest at all as Gabe maneuvers him off his lap and onto the bed, because a moment later Gabe is laying next to him, pulling him close and Nate scents him mostly on autopilot. Gabe's chest rumbles contentedly and Nate snuggles into him as they fall asleep.


	12. 12

Did you have any ideas for after this?

not for this specific part but I have a bunch of ideas for other parts but pretty much all of them involve a time jump. 

I am totally down for a time jump! What were you thinking?

Well I have a few different ideas floating around, most of them like 1-2 years in the future but some of them are up to like 8-9 years but for the closer stuff I'm thinking about 1. someone at school is interested in Nate (I'm thinking about Nate being sixteen at this point) and they ask him out and Nate's naive and can't see that they don't have good intentions and Alex and Gabe are always encouraging him to make friends at school and anyways they're over at the apartment and they're in Nate's room and they try to touch Nate and they don't really manage to do anything much because Nate screams and Gabe like busts the door down and is ready to murder them.

2\. (and I think this happens earlier like when Nate's 14, maybe just 15) Nate has a wet dream while he's in Gabe's bed and he wakes up soaked with slick and he's feverish and groggy and doesn't know what's going on (and maybe he panics a little because it feels a little bit like what he remembers heat feeling like) and he wakes Gabe up and Gabe knows what happened because he can smell it and he calms Nate as best as he can without saying too much and then he sends Nate to the shower and he changes the sheets (I don't know if it's a natural thing or the result of lab experimentation but I have this head cannon that Nate gets like, super wet) and then Gabe has to try and tell Nate that he's really getting too old to keep sleeping in the same bed as Gabe and Nate's not happy.

3\. Gabe starts dating someone and Nate is extremely jealous and hates them a lot and I keep thinking specifically about a little scene where Alex and Gabe have some friends over and Nate sees Gabe and Gabe's got his bf/gf on his lap and Nate's devastated and furious because that's /his/ spot and he rushes into his bedroom and hides under the covers and cries. Also now as I'm typing this I'm thinking about a scene where Gabe's partner spends the night and Nate fakes having a nightmare so he can crawl into bed with Gabe and Gabe of course can't say no to an upset, sniffling Nate. Also I want to work in Nate getting his nose pierced at some point.

omg I love all of those and its almost like you laid them out in reverse chronological order, like I can see Nate being really jealous of Gabe's partner when he's still like 13/14 and then the wet dream idea and then Nate with the asshole boyfriend type. I feel like Nate could get his nose pierced as a like rebellious thing like he gets in an argument with Gabe, so he goes out and gets his nose pierced?? but I'm down to talk about any of those!!

yeah lol I kind of did and yes that's so good like I don't know Gabe doesn't want him to do something and Nate's like "I'm not a kid anymore" and then they get into a big argument and Nate comes back with a pierced nose and Gabe's like "holy shit" and maybe Nate only did it to prove that he wasn't afraid of things like Gabe still thought he was but he also cried when it was happening. So let's go chronologically? like Gabe meets someone through the organization or work or something and I don't care who it is, you can pick, but they hit it off and Nate likes them just fine right up until he figures out that Gabe is dating them.

yes! and oh gosh idk who exactly it should be but I think it should be someone in the organization so it's kind of normal for them to be around and Nate thinks they're fine, but then one day Gabe and Alex have people over for dinner and they call Nate downstairs to come eat and when Nate rounds the corner, the person is in Gabe's lap.

yes yes I agree and like Nate just stops in the doorway and doesn't know what to do because he wasn't expecting it and he doesn't understand why someone else would be in Gabe's lap. I honestly keep thinking about him dating meagan and idk why??? Idk if we were thinking male or female.

(lol it can totally be Meagan) and something in Nate's chest hurts as he watches Gabe and Meagan laugh at something someone said. Meagan spots him first and she gives him a little wave. "Hi, Nate" She says, "We're gonna eat in a minute if you wanna come sit down" Nate stares at her, and carefully edges around the table towards Travie at the other end, even though there's an open seat next to Meagan and Gabe.

Gabe frowns as he watches Nate go sit next to Travie. The doctor gives Nate a high five before ruffling his hair a little. Meagan taps the side of his head. "They get along really well don't they? It's so cute" She whispers to him. "Yeah...cute," Gabe says absently, tightening the arm around her waist. Nate hasn't even looked at him. Meagan kisses the same place she just tapped. "You okay?" "Of course" Gabe says, turning to look up at her. "Why wouldn't I be?" He says and Meagan smiles and leans down to kiss him. At the other end of the table, Nate wedges himself in the chair so he can't see Gabe at all. Travie frowns at him. "You doing okay, buddy? You look a little upset."

Nate just shrugs, frowning hard, and Travie glances at Gabe and then Alex, who shakes his head. "If something's bothering you, you can always tell me," Travie says, but Nate just nods at his lap and Travie leaves it at that. Conversation happens all around Nate and he just tunes it out. He feels out balance and out of control and he hates it. Soon enough, Alex is bringing out the food and everyone gushes about how it looks and smells amazing and Nate looks up just in time to see Gabe nuzzling Meagan's neck before letting her get off his lap and sit in her own seat and Nate's blood runs cold and his vision blurs. His chair makes a loud squeak as he stands up quickly and runs out of the room.

Travie tries to catch him, but misses, and Gabe just stares after him before turning angry eyes on Travie. Nate hurries up the stairs, stumbling and banging his shin halfway up, but he doesn't let that slow him down. Hot tears sting his eyes and trail down his cheeks as he slams his bedroom door and throws himself onto the bed. Downstairs it's dead quiet. Gabe is still glaring at Travie who gives him a look right back. "I promise, it wasn't anything /I/ did" Travie tells him. "Yeah, right," Gabe spits, starting to work himself up, but a sharp look from Alex and a hand on his arm from Meagan makes him settle back. Travie spreads his hands, palms up. "I'm telling the truth. I asked him what was wrong and he didn't answer me, and suddenly he was gone." Travie's leg bounces under the table as he exhales hard. Meagan touches his arm again gently. "Maybe someone should go up and make sure he's okay" She says. "I can do it," Travie offers, and Gabe's up so fast his chair rocks back, narrowly avoiding tipping over. "I'll do it," he half growls. 

There's a moment where the mood is a bit taken aback with the intensity of Gabe's voice and it settles into slight awkwardness as he leaves the room, Alex following him out quickly. "Hey!" Alex says and grabs him right before he goes up the stairs. Gabe is breathing hard and his hands are shaking. Alex gives him a look he can't read. "Just calm down a little, okay?" Alex says, "You're gonna scare him if you knock his door down" He says and Gabe huffs a laugh before taking a deep breath. "Fuck," he says with a helpless laugh. "I didn't mean to-" "I know," Alex says. "Gabe, he didn't do anything. You have got to calm down."

"Yeah-I" Gabe starts and stops a couple times, "He's been acting weird tonight" He says finally, looking at Alex, concern clear on his face. "He was fine before," Alex says. "Maybe he's just not feeling well. I mean he was downstairs what, five minutes?" Gabe bites his lip. "Maybe" He says and Alex claps him on the shoulder. "I'm sure he'll be fine. Go check on him and-just don't go into overprotective Alpha mode, okay?" He asks. "I'm not overprotective, and I'm not his Alpha," Gabe says and starts up the stairs. "I mean it," Alex calls after him. 

Gabe ignores him and continues up the stairs. His stomach turns when he sees the door to Nate's room is closed. Nate rarely closes his door, the years of being confined to a small space still having an effect. Gabe swallows hard and knocks on the door softly. No response. Gabe knocks again, louder, stomach twisting in knots. "Natey?" He calls through the door. "Can I come in?" There's still no response so Gabe opens the door. His heart clenches when he sees Nate curled up in a ball under his covers, the unmistakable sound of sniffling coming from under the pile of fabric. "Natey, what's going on? Are you sick?" Gabe asks, coming over to the bed. "Why'd you run out?"

The little bundle just moves slightly, still sniffling, and Gabe sits on the edge of the bed. He reaches out to touch Nate, but Nate jerks away. Gabe's frown deepens. "Natey, please tell me what's wrong." "Go away," Nate finally says, muffled. Gabe twists his hands together. "Natey, I want to make you feel better." Nate makes an irritated noise. "Not your Natey." Gabe blinks in surprise. "What? Of course you're my Natey" He says but stops short when Nate lets out a tiny growl. "No," Nate bites out and curls up tighter under the covers. Gabe doesn't know what to do. Nate's acting like he did something, but Gabe can't think of a single thing he could have done.

"Nate, I'm sorry. I don't know what's making you so upset" Gabe tries. It's like someone is punching him in the chest every time he hears Nate's breath hitch as he cries. Nate won't answer him, no matter how many times Gabe asks, and Gabe has no idea what to do for the poor little omega. There's a knock on the open door, and Gabe looks up to see Travie standing in the doorway. "I just wanted to come up and see if he was doing okay," he says. 

Gabe gives him a desperate look. "He won't talk to me" He says and Travie nods and walks in the room. He crouches down next to the opposite side of the bed, trying to look into the little cocoon Nate has wrapped himself up in. "Hey, little man" He says softly. "Are you feeling okay?" Nate shuffles closer to him. "No," he says from inside his blankets. Travie glances up at Gabe and then refocuses on Nate. "Can you tell me what's wrong?" He asks.

"No" Nate says again and Gabe gives Travie an 'I told you so' look but Travie ignores him. "Is it because Gabe is here?" He asks and Gabe stills. There's a long pause before Nate nods and Travie looks up at Gabe. "Can you go wait in the hallway please?" He asks. Gabe's chest feels as if it's been torn open. "Okay," he says quietly, standing up. He can't look at either of them as he leaves the room, pulling the door shut behind him. Travie sighs. "He's gone, Nate. Can you come out and talk to me now?" 

Nate pokes his head out, looking around with puffy eyes before he relaxes slightly. Travie gives him a little smile. "Hi." He says and Nate sniffles "Hi" He says in a tiny voice. Travie feels for the tiny omega. "Do you wanna talk about why you're so upset? Everyone is super worried about you." Nate twists around to look at the closed door. "It's okay," Travie says. "Gabe is gone. You wanna tell me why you're upset with him?" Nate slowly turns back to face Travie. "I'm not his Nate," he whispers. Travie makes a sympathetic noise. "And why do you think that?" He asks and Nate sniffles. "Meagan" He says quietly. Travie's eyebrows draw up and he turns away, coughing in an attempt to hide his surprise. "Oh-oh, that's -Gabe still loves you," Travie says, but Nate starts to tear up again. "No," he says tearfully. 

"I promise you he does, Nate" Travie tells the omega but Nate shakes his head miserably. "She was on his lap" He says, "a-and Gabe nuzzled her neck" He says, tears falling down his cheeks. "But- But, that's how you show affection right?" Travie says quickly, trying to do some damage control. "They're dating, so he's gonna show her affection" Travie tries to reason but Nate frowns at the words. "Dating?" Travie stops dead, looking like he's been hit. "Um," he says, and Nate frowns harder. Travie clears his throat. "Are-are you asking me what that means, or are you asking me if they're actually dating?"

Nate shakes his head. "Alex dates" He says, still sounding confused, and Travie is going to kill Gabe the next time he sees him. He clearly hasn't even mentioned dating Meagan. "Yes." Travie says, "And Gabe dates Meagan right now" He says gently. "No," Nate whimpers, reaching out to take hold of Travie's hand. "He can't!" Travie squeezes Nate's hand and sighs. "Nate, he still loves you and cares about you. I promise, he won't forget about you." Nate shakes his head, tears running down his cheeks and Travie carefully folds him into a hug. "Shh. I promise you, he does. He loves you and cares about you a lot" Travie says softly. "I'm not his Nate," Nate cries miserably into Travie's chest. Travie rocks him back and forth. "You'll always be his Nate, I know you will," Travie whispers. "He can't replace you."

Travie rocks him gently, rubbing his back soothingly as the little omega cries into his chest and then slowly calms down. "Nate," Travie says, "I want you to listen to me, okay?" He says softly and Nate sniffles and nods into Travie's chest. "You are one of a kind and there is no way in hell that Gabe could every forget you or replace you or that he'd even try to" Travie tells him, "You've got a special place in his heart, just like he has a special place in yours" Nate rubs his face against Travie's shoulder and sighs softly. Travie runs his fingers through Nate's hair. "Feel better?" He asks. Nate nods against Travie's shoulder. "You feel okay enough to go back downstairs, or do you want to stay up here?"

Nate shakes his head and Travie laughs softly. "Which one?" He asks and Nate lifts his head up a little. "Wanna stay here" He says. "Okay" Travie agrees easily, "Me and Alex will bring a plate for you, okay?" He says and Nate nods, wiping his eyes. "Do you want someone to stay up here with you?" Travie asks. "You," Nate says quietly and turns his head up to look at Travie. "Please?" Travie smiles down at him. "Of course. But you have to promise to talk to Gabe later." Nate frowns up at him but Travie shakes his head. "Nuh-uh. You have to talk to Gabe, okay?" He says looking Nate in the eye and Nate pouts but nods. "Good" Travie says. "I'm gonna go get us some food and I'll be right back" Nate snuggles himself back in his blanket cocoon and Travie leaves the room, pulling the door most of the way shut. Gabe's not in the hall, but he's sitting at the bottom of the stairs looking anxious as Meagan sits next to him, obviously trying to calm him down. 

Gabe stands up as soon as he sees Travie, Meagan following quickly. "Is he okay?" Gabe asks frantically and Travie gives him a look. "He's not sick" He says carefully and Meagan sighs. "See? I told you!" She says to Gabe and Travie looks between them for a second before he clears his throat. "Gabe, can I talk to you for a second?" He says. Gabe's eyes narrow, but with a glance at Meagan, he schools his face into something like a grimace. Travie thinks that's his attempt to look unaffected and happy. "Yeah, sure," he says, and follows Travie into the empty front entryway. "Is there a reason why you didn't tell Nate that you and Meagan were dating?" Travie asks, giving the Alpha a hard look. Gabe's mouth twists like he's smelled something sour. Travie's hit a nerve. "I didn't realize I needed to tell him," he says stiffly. Travie stares at him, mouth slightly open. "You know he was bawling his eyes out because he thinks you're gonna forget him," he snaps.

Gabe blinks and Travie shakes his head. "You know that kid clings to you, you know it more than anyone" Travie says, "so what made you think that you suddenly showing affection to this other person, wasn't going to make him feel rejected?" Travie asks. "I can't just never have a relationship with anyone," Gabe says feebly. Travie folds his arms. "You're a fucking asshole, Gabe, let me just say that. You only didn't tell him because you had an idea he'd react this way, and you wanted to avoid the situation." Gabe bristles. "That's not-" He starts and Travie cuts him off. "Thats not what? Nate's not dumb, Gabe. He was gonna figure it out eventually. You should have sat him down and told him" Travie says and Gabe interrupts him with an outburst "Okay!" Travie raises his eyebrows. "Okay, what?" He prods, and Gabe glares at him. "I should have already told him. I just didn't know how to explain it to him." Travie sighs. "It's not that hard to explain, Gabe." He says, sounding tired. "Oh, I'm sure it wouldn't be hard for you," Gabe mutters, and Travie sighs. "Nate doesn't want to talk to you because he's rightly upset with you. You should've told him, but now you're just gonna have to suck it up and apologize." Gabe glares at him. "Don't talk to me like I'm a child, Travie" He says and Travie just shakes his head. "I'm not." He says, "But I think you were stupid and Nate deserves an apology" "He won't even talk to me," Gabe says. "He only wants to talk to you." Travie gives an enormous sigh. "I'm not really sure why you're trying to pick fights with me today. I'm going back upstairs to be with Nate." Travie walks out of the room before Gabe can say anything. okay I feel like for the rest of the party Nate stays upstairs and Gabe's pissed despite Meagan and Alex and other people trying to cheer him up and then after everyone leaves, Gabe finally gets to talk to Nate and explain things to him and he promises Nate that he won't ever forget about him and that he still loves him and Nate just kinda stays quiet and lets Gabe hug him but I think it's less that Nate thinks Gabe is gonna forget about him and more that /he/ wants to be the most special person in Gabe's life. but now I want to skip to like two or three weeks later and Meagan is spending the night (for the first time?) and Gabe's explained to Nate that Meagan is coming over and she's going to stay the whole night and Nate's quiet and kinda sulky and he's supposed to be hanging out with Alex and Alex is trying to teach him how to play like some game but Nate's not interested and decides to go to bed instead and then I don't know, Nate's just thinking about Meagan and Gabe being on their date and when they come home, it's late but Nate's just laying awake and he hears Gabe's bedroom door shut and he tries to just not think about it but he can't help it and eventually he panics and just jumps out of bed and runs into Gabe's room (and Gabe and Meagan are just like making out like fully dressed on top of the covers) yes yes yes and Nate just gets hit with a mess of different emotions. How were you thinking Gabe and Meagan respond? I'm thinking they break apart obviously and Alex had promised Gabe earlier he'd keep Nate occupied but now there's a crying, panicky Nate in his room and Meagan's super confused and shocked but Gabe's confused and also freaking out and is just "Nate, what are you doing in here?" and Nate's just standing pressed against the wall with tears dripping downhill cheeks and Gabe looks at Meagan, who's just staring at Nate and then he looks at Nate and he's like "Did you have a nightmare?" and Nate can't day that he's panicky about Gabe and Meagan being together so he just nods.

Gabe looks between Nate and Meagan, not knowing what to do. "I'm sorry, Natey" He says and Meagan looks at Nate sympathetically. "Can you, um-" Gabe looks back at Meagan, before getting up off the bed and coming over to Nate. "Natey, would it be okay if you went and stayed with Alex?" He whispers. Nate blinks up at him with big, tearful eyes and shakes his head. "Okay!" Gabe says, trying to keep Nate calm, "um, I don't know what to do Natey. You can't really stay with me and Meagan" He says and Nate cries harder, leaning his head against Gabe's chest. "Shhh, shhh," Gabe says frantically, putting his hands on Nate's shoulders. "Is Nate okay?" Meagan asks, and Gabe twists as much as he can to face her. She's sitting on the edge of the bed now, twisting a piece of hair around her fingers and watching Nate in concern. "Nate, um, he has nightmares sometimes," Gabe starts, petting Nate's arm. "They're really bad, and he needs help getting back to sleep afterwards."

"Aww" Meagan says, watching Nate with a concerned expression. "Well, I'm sure Gabe will tuck you back in to your bed and stay with you until you fall asleep" She says, giving Gabe a shrug as if to say 'I don't mind', but Gabe can feel Nate shaking his head before she's even done talking. Gabe turns back to Nate. "Wouldn't that be okay, just for tonight?" He asks, halfheartedly. His desire to spend the night with Meagan has waned in the face of a crying, miserable Nate, and he wants to make sure Nate feels okay. Plus, it's definitely ruined the mood. Gabe looks down at the miserable Nate and then sighs deeply. He turns to Meagan. "Hey could we-rain check?" He asks awkwardly. She frowns, clearly not having expected that. Gabe strokes Nate's back as Nate's breath hitches again. "It's just-he gets really upset and he'll probably be up most of the night, and I should really stay with him," Gabe half-lies. He doesn't think there's a good way to explain that he usually lets Nate sleep in his bed. 

She clears her throat. "Oh" She says lightly but her jaw is tense. She looks at them for a second before she nods once. "Okay" She says tightly and gets off Gabe's bed, looking for her shoes. Gabe winces. He gives Nate a hug and then separates himself from the little omega. Nate whimpers, but Gabe shushes him. "You just stay here, and I'm going to walk Meagan out to her car, okay? I'll be back in a few minutes." Nate sniffles but nods and Gabe follows Meagan out the door. There's an intense silence between them as they walk down the stairs. "Hey, listen, I'm really really sorry about this" He says as he opens the front door for her. She turns, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "It's fine, Gabe. I just don't understand why you have to stay with him all night. Can't Alex stay with him?" Gabe shrugs. "Nate is- particular." He says, "He gets used to me staying up with him when he has nightmares so now it's like a routine to him" Gabe tries to explain to her. She sighs. "I shouldn't be so upset, I'm sorry. He wouldn't have come in crying like that if he didn't need you. I was just really excited about tonight." Gabe tugs her close and kisses her. "Me too," he says, hands sliding down her back. "I had so many things I wanted to do."

She hums and kisses him slow and sensuous. "You're not the only one" She says and then pulls away with a sigh, making Gabe groan in frustration. Meagan laughs. "We'll just have to save it for next time, I guess" She teases. "Maybe next time we can stay at your place," Gabe suggests. Meagan smiles. "I'd like that," she says, and steps in to give him a quick kiss. "But I should probably go, and you should probably get back to Nate." Gabe nods. "Yeah" He sighs and kisses her quick again. "I'll call you later, okay?" He says and Meagan nods before she turns and gets into her car. Gabe watches as she pulls out of their driveway and drives away. He scrubs a hand over his face and shuts the door, taking the steps two at a time to go check on Nate. He opens the door to find Nate already curled up in his bed. He carefully shuts the door behind him. "Hey, Natey, how're you feeling?" He asks, climbing up onto the bed. Nate rolls around to snuggle into Gabe's chest. Gabe sighs and puts his arm around him.

"Do you wanna talk about your bad dream?" He asks and Nate shakes his head. Gabe cards his fingers through Nate's hair. "Are you sure? You remember what Dr. Sarah said talking about things can help." Nate presses closer to Gabe and shakes his head again. Gabe sighs. "Okay Natey" He says softly and hugs the omega close, letting Nate snuggle against him. A few minutes slip by but Gabe can't shake off an unsettled feeling. He sighs again, and Nate stiffens. "Mad?" He asks tentatively.

"No, Natey, I'm not mad" Gabe assures him, but Nate looks up at him, worried. "I'm really not," Gabe says. "You can't control when you have bad dreams, and I always want to make you feel better. Meagan and I will be together some other night. You don't have to feel bad that she went home . I know you wouldn't have come to me unless you really needed me." Nate's stomach twists and he buries his face into Gabe's chest. Gabe looks down at him in surprise. "Natey, what's wrong? I said I wasn't mad." Nate just nuzzles Gabe's chest and Gabe starts to rub his back. "Are you doing okay, Natey?" Gabe asks after a long pause, "You've been acting a little strange lately" Tears well up in Nate's eyes and he presses his face harder into Gabe's chest. "Natey?" Gabe asks, and Nate sniffles. Gabe's hand freezes. "Natey, are you crying?" He asks, trying to push Nate back to look at his face.Nate whimpers and keeps his head against Gabe's chest. "Hey, hey, shh" Gabe says gently, carding his fingers through Nate's hair. "What's going on, Natey?" Nate shakes his head slightly. Gabe kisses the top of Nate's head, and Nate breaks into a sob. Gabe's heart leaps into his throat. "Natey, you're scaring me. Please, tell me what's going on," he begs. Nate sobs again. "I did something bad!" He cries. Gabe blinks in shock. "What are you talking about, Natey?" He asks and Nate shakes his head. "Come on, it can't be that bad" Gabe prompts and Nate sniffles. "I made Meagan go home," Nate cries and then buries his face in Gabe's chest again. Gabe pets Nate's hair. "Oh, that's not your fault, Natey. You had a nightmare." I can't decide if Nate actually tells Gabe what he did or not. me either tbh because I feel like he just keeps saying no and that it's his fault but I kind of don't want Gabe to find out or get angry with him?? me too like Gabe just assumes that Nate feels really bad about Meagan going home and eventually Nate just kinda tires himself out and falls asleep and idk what else happens with Gabe and Meagan but like eventually they break up and I think it's mostly just because they realize that neither of them are into it and yeah we can move on to something else if you want? unless you have other ideas for this part? yeah, but I do think that Gabe is really bummed out that it didn't work out between him and Meagan and when he mentions it to Nate and Alex (who are both kind of happy it didn't work out), he can't hide how disappointed he is, so Nate takes it upon himself to cheer Gabe up. awww yes that's so cute like even though Nate's ecstatic about them breaking up, and now he can finally be around Meagan again because he liked her before she and Gabe started dating, he just wants Gabe to feel better and what are you thinking he does? I don't know, I keep picturing this scene where Gabe is in the living room, zoning out with whatever's on TV for like the third day in a row, and Nate is in the kitchen with Alex and he just keeps looking back at Gabe all concerned and Alex is like "You know, fresh air is supposed to be good for making people feel better" and Nate's eyes go wide and he goes into the living room and tugs on Gabe's hand. Gabe gives him a confused look. "Park" Nate orders and Gabe sighs. "I don't really feel like going to the park right now," Gabe tries, but Nate doesn't let go of his hand. "Park," he says insistently, and pulls hard at Gabe. "Just take the kid to the park," Alex says without turning around. Gabe gives the back of Alex's head a look and Nate pulls at his hand again. "Park!" He whines and Gabe groans. "Fine, fine! We'll go to the park." He says and Nate beams at him. "Yeah, yeah" Gabe says, ruffling his hair, "Go get your shoes on" Nate runs off and Gabe pushes himself up off the couch. "I don't really want to go to the park, Suarez," he says, and Alex just shrugs, still not turning around. "All you're doing is moping," He says. "I'm not moping" Gabe says and Alex laughs. "Get your ass off the couch and just go to the park with Nate" He says and Gabe flips him off but he gets up and goes to put on his shoes and jacket. Nate's already at the front door, looking anxious when Gabe gets there. Gabe attempts a smile. "So, we're going to the park?" He asks as Nate opens the door. Nate nods, a serious expression on his face, and Gabe laughs. "Are we on a mission?" He asks. He's not expecting Nate's second serious nod. Gabe raises his eyebrows. "What are we doing on our mission?" He asks, but Nate only reaches for his hand. Gabe looks down at him but Nate just tugs him along. It's a nice day. Sunny but still has a cool breeze and Gabe lets his mind wander as they walk. They get to the park and Gabe squeezes his hand. "So are you gonna tell me why we're at the park?" He asks. Nate looks up at him. "For fun," he says seriously. That shocks a laugh out of Gabe. "Okay" He says, "What are we gonna do for fun?" He asks and Nate frowns thinking hard. "Swings" He says finally. "You want me to push you on the swings?" Gabe asks as they start towards them. Nate shakes his head. "I wanna push you," He says. Gabe blinks. "Oh yeah?" He asks, starting to laugh again. Nate nods seriously. "How about we take turns" Gabe says as they get to the swing set. "You first," Nate says, and Gabe keeps laughing as he sits down on one of the swings. "Whatever you say, Natey," he says. Nate runs up behind him and pushes, frowning when Gabe barely moves. Gabe laughs loudly. "You're gonna have to push harder than that Natey!" He says. Nate makes a frustrated sound and back up before he pushes Gabe again, putting all of his strength into it. Gabe actually moves this time. "There we go, Natey!" He says and Nate pushes him again, making him go a little higher. Nate keeps pushing him until his arms get tired and Gabe takes pity on him, pumping his legs and swinging himself. Nate sits down in the swing beside Gabe's, the toes of his flip flops just scraping the ground. "You want me to stop and push you?" Gabe calls, and Nate shakes his head. He grips the chains and tries to swing his own legs, but doesn't go anywhere. "You've gotta lean back and then tilt forward" Gabe says, already starting to slow down. Nate tries again and moves a little, but he just can't get the momentum to swing up high. Gabe smiles at him fondly and lets himself slow to a stop. "Let me push you," he says, but Nate shakes his head. "I want to do it!" He says, frustrated. Gabe nods. "Okay. Then you watch me and try to copy what I'm doing." Nate watches carefully as Gabe pushes off and pumps his leg. Nate tries to copy him and smiles wide when it works. "Yeah!" Gabe says and lets go of one of the chains to high five Nate as they swing past each other. Nate grins at him, and Gabe isn't thinking at all about Meagan, or laying in bed, or moping around on the couch and eating all of Alex's cooking. He watches Nate swing higher and higher, and he pushes himself higher and every push forward has him feeling like he could fly. They spend a long time at the park, so much that it's close to getting dark and Gabe decides that they need to go home. Nate pouts but Gabe grabs his hand and tugs gently. It's till nice out and they walk slowly. Nate keeps looking at him expectantly. "That was fun, right?" Gabe asks and Nate perks up, nodding. (I have nothing after this lol so we can skip ahead if you want) lol yeah we can skip ahead to some other point and I think the next one was Nate having a wet dream?? if that's one we want to talk about. yes!! so did we think Nate was older or still like 13ish? I think he's a little older like 15?? and he doesn't know what's going on because he's asleep and he just wakes up directly after it happens all confused and struggling to understand and I don't know if Gabe wakes up before Nate does or if Nate wakes him up in a panic. I kinda like the idea of Nate waking up in a panic and rolling over to wake Gabe up and Gabe slowly comes out of sleep and doesn't really know how to handle it because there's slick everywhere and Nate is so scared that he's shaking. yes yes that's so good because Nate is freaked out and he doesn't even know what he's feeling but the sheets and his pants are soaked and he's just sniffling and pushing at Gabe and Gabe just slurs "waswrong, Natey?" and tries to snuggle Nate like usual before he touches wet cold sheets and feels Nate shaking violently and then he wakes up really fast and Gabe sits up fast and is like "What's wrong?" because he thinks maybe Nate's going into heat despite his suppressants and Nate just shakes his head and chokes out an "I don't know!" and Gabe puts his wrist to Nate's forehead to see if he has a fever, but he seems normal and Gabe can't smell the scent of heat at all. The only scent is the sweet, slightly musky smell of slick, which rules out Nate wetting the bed but when Gabe fumbles the lamp on, Nate curled up and shaking as Gabe squints in the sudden light, there's such a damp spot beneath Nate, Gabe almost reconsiders. "What happened?" He asks. Nate shakes his head and tries to burrow into Gabe's chest. Gabe pulls him into his lap, soaked pants and all, despite his better judgement. Nate immediately presses his face into Gabe's neck. "My heat!" He cries. Gabe makes a soothing noise and starts to rub circles on Nate's back. "I don't think it is your heat, Natey. You don't smell like heat, and you don't have a fever." "B-B-But it's e-everywhere!" Nate hiccups and Gabe holds him tight and hushes him softly. "Shh, you're okay. We'll figure out what's going on but you need to calm down" He says, rubbing Nate's back. He feels Nate nod against him. "Good," Gabe says. Slick seeps through the thin fabric of his pajama bottoms where Nate's presses against him and he grimaces at the slimy cold feeling. Nate's breath hitches. "D-Did I-I have an-an accident?" He stutters out, rushing the words together. Gabe's own face goes hot. "No," he says quickly. "No, it's just slick." Nate sniffles into his neck. Gabe tries to focus all his energy on getting Nate calm, but there's a part of him that's freaking out too. There's a /lot/ of slick. Too much for it to be normal, but Nate doesn't smell like heat at all and it's starting to make Gabe worry. "Can you tell me what you remember?" He tries to keep his voice steady. Nate's quiet for a moment, nuzzling Gabe a little before he says, "I woke up and I was wet and it felt a little like my heat." Well, that's getting somewhere. "Were you-uh, having a dream?" Gabe asks delicately. Nate's cheeks turn pink and he turns more to hide in Gabe's side. "Yes" He says quietly and Gabe clears his throat awkwardly. "You don't have to tell me about it or anything!" He says quickly and Nate nods. He keeps his face hidden and Gabe tries to breathe only through his mouth. The scent of slick is suddenly slightly nauseating in it's sweetness. "Well that's um-that's normal," He says, the awkwardness so sharp it's painful. Nate stills and Gabe pushes through the awkwardness to continue. "Sometimes when people have-arousing dreams they- get aroused in real life while they're asleep" Gabe says, choppy and stumbling over his words. He's hyper aware of Nate's slick soaking his pajama pants, and the fact that Nate's in his lap, but he plows on. "And it happens to most people your age. So-that's all." Except that it doesn't explain the sheer amount of slick. Nate didn't hardly get wet in his first heat, which Travie explained was pretty normal since omegas that young weren't mature enough to actually mate but now half the bed and both of them are soaked with it. It could be that Nate's getting older, but Gabe has a horrible feeling in his gut that it has something to do with the last time they were in the lab and the doctors obsession with getting Nate pregnant. Nate squirms against him, whining, and Gabe's startled from his thoughts. He pats Nate on the back. "Okay, Natey. How about you go clean yourself up in the bathroom, and I'll clean up the bed?" Nate's silent for a few moments before he nods and slowly gets off of Gabe's lap, walking awkwardly into the attached bathroom. He shuts the door behind him, and Gabe can finally breathe easier. He takes a deep breath and then wishes he hadn't because even with Nate gone the room still reeks of slick and arousal. Gabe gets out of bed and retrieves fresh pants and underwear before going down the hall to the bathroom situated between Nate and Alex's bedrooms. Gabe wipes himself down quickly, trying to get all the sticky slick off of him. He sighs. He's been thinking more and more about how Nate is really getting too old to sleep in the same bed as him and this just proves that he's right. He hasn't brought it up because he doesn't want to upset Nate, but it has to happen sometime. Nate can't still be crawling into bed with him when he's eighteen, and eventually Gabe is going to end up in a serious relationship. He sighs and pulls on the clean clothes, taking the dirty ones with him back to his bedroom. The bathroom door is still shut, but Nate's wet pants and underwear are in a heap outside the door. Gabe dumps his own on top of them and sets to work stripping the bed. He bundles the dirty clothes into the dirty sheets and carries them downstairs to the laundry room. He's waiting for the washer to fill up when a knock on the open door startles him, and he looks up to see a sleepy, barefoot Alex in the doorway. "Why are you doing laundry at 2:30 in the morning?" He asks, and then squints. "Did Nate wet the bed?" He pauses, considering. "Did /you/ wet the bed?" Gabe snorts. "Shut up." He says, "Nobody wet the bed" Gabe says and Alex frowns. "Then why are you doing laundry?" Gabe focuses on the washing machine. "Nate has a-a wet dream," he says quietly, and he can feel Alex's incredulity. "Gabe-" he starts, and Gabe snaps. "I know, okay? I know he's too old to keep sleeping with me and I know he needs to learn to sleep in his own bed through the night. I fucking know!" Alex blinks. "I was only going to say washing all the bedding and your clothes seems like overkill," he says mildly. Gabe winces. "Sorry" He mutters and Alex shrugs. "I mean, you are right about him. I just thought the more pressing issue was you feeling the need to wash your whole bedroom because he had a little wet dream" Alex says. Gabe shakes his head. "Little wet dream, my ass. He soaked himself and me and the bed." Alex's eyebrows draw together. "Are you sure he didn't wet the bed?" Gabe nods. "Definitely just slick but fuck-there was so much of it." "That's not normal" Alex says slowly and Gabe nods and bites his lip. "I'm worried that it might have something to do with when he was being experimented on" He says and Alex sucks in a breath. "Maybe.."He says, "We could always ask Travie about it, see if he knows anything?" Alex says. Gabe bites his lip and nods. "I think so," he says. "I'll call him later and see if I can go in. Hopefully we can avoid bringing Nate in. I don't want him to worry. He was already panicked enough." "He thought he was going into heat again." Gabe says and Alex hums. "Poor little guy" "How do I tell him he can't sleep with me anymore?" Gabe asks. Alex sighs. "You're just gonna have to tell him. He's in high school now, Gabe. He can't sleep with you for the rest of his life." "I know" Gabe says, "But he's gonna be so upset. I hate seeing him like that" Alex comes closer and puts him arm around Gabe. "I know you do but you're doing what's best for him. I mean, you're not gonna stop it all at once, right? You can wean him off slowly." Gabe gives him a look. "He's not a baby I'm breastfeeding." Alex smacks the back of Gabe's head lightly. "You know what I mean. Don't just kick him out one night, do it gradually" Alex says, laughing a little. "Yeah, that's probably the best idea," Gabe agrees. Alex hugs him and lets him go. "Like, first try spending the night with him in his room. I think he's slept in that bed like less than ten times since we've moved in." Gabe snorts. "He says mine is comfier" He says and Alex shakes his head, smiling fondly. "That kid is so weird" "And you love him," Gabe says. but okay now I'm thinking about like the next day Gabe brings up to Nate that Nate's getting too old to sleep in Gabe's bed and I'm kind of thinking of Nate agreeing and it kind of shocks Gabe and he's actually a little bit hurt. aw yes like maybe Nate was so embarrassed by it that he doesn't want that to ever happen in front of Gabe again so he kind of readily agrees and Gabe is a little taken aback. yes exactly! like Gabe hesitantly approaches the topic and Nate's just "I wanna start sleeping in my own bed" and Gabe's like "Wait, what?" and Nate just says "I wanna sleep in my own bed now" and Gabe's so disconcerted and just like "oh...okay" and then later he's like complaining to Alex and Alex is just "Isn't that a good thing?" and Gabe's like "Well, I guess" and just lets out a frustrated groan and Alex laughs. "So, you were worried that he would be an inconsolable mess if you brought it up, but now that he's okay with it, you don't like it?" He asks incredulously. Gabe sighs and puts his head in his hands. "No, I'm glad it went well. I just wasn't expecting it. Like, if he was so ready to stop sleeping with me, why hasn't he stopped already?" "I don't know" Alex says, shrugging. "Habit maybe? It's just something you both got used to" He says. Omg now I can't stop thinking that Gabe has a hard time sleeping through the night when Nate stops sleeping in the bed with him. omg me too like Gabe has all these plans about how it's gonna happen gradually and then like they go upstairs that night and Nate just stops and hugs Gabe and says goodnight and Gabe is so taken aback and he's kinda like "What?" and Nate's like "I'm going to my room" and Gabe's like "Right now? Tonight? By yourself?" and Nate nods and Gabe's like "Oh-oh yeah. That's fine." and then ends up awake like the whole night. yes! and the next morning Gabe is cranky because he literally got no sleep, but Nate seems fine, even though he had a little trouble falling asleep too and after Nate leaves for school, Alex is like "Why the fuck are you so cranky? Did you not sleep at all last night?" and Gabe just stays quiet. Alex stares at him before he starts to laugh. "Shut the fuck up" Gabe says, glaring at him and Alex just laughs harder. "You couldn't fall asleep without your little omega next yo you!" Alex manages to get out. "That's not true!" Gabe exclaims, and then as an afterthought, "And he's not omega!" Alex doesn't stop laughing. "You can say what you want, but that doesn't change the fact that you can't sleep without Nate curled up next to you." "Shut up" Gabe repeats. "It wasn't like that. I-I was worried about him." He protests weakly. "Sure" Alex says sarcastically. "I was," Gabe says defensively. Alex just shakes his head. "I think Nate slept pretty okay, if you ask me." "Yeah" Gabe says, turning back to his breakfast. Alex gives him an assessing look. "That's good" He says pointedly. "I know. It's great. It's really, really great," Gabe says without looking up. Alex watches him for another few moments. "He still needs you, Gabe," He says softly. "Right because he's going to school and sleeping in his own room and doing just fine" Gabe says and winces at how bitter he sounds. "Shit. That sounds bad. I'm so happy he's doing a lot better, but it's just-" Gabe trails off and Alex nods. "It's weird. It's like watching your kid brother grow up" He says. "Or something," Gabe says. Alex rolls his eyes. "Okay, well for some of us, it's like watching our baby grow up, and for some of us it's like watching a little brother. Whichever." Gabe blinks. "I never said I thought of him like my baby" He tells Alex. Alex gives him a sideways look. "You never had to say it. Everything about the way you treat him screams it. I mean, you've let him sleep in your bed for over two years, and you hold his hand whenever you take him out in public, and you order for him at restaurants and you pack his lunches and stand at the door to watch him get on the bus. You mother him constantly." "D-Do I?" Gabe says and Alex gapes at him. "Are you actually kidding me?" He says and Gabe just shrugs. "I know I coddle him a lot but I didn't really think about all that" He says. "You spoil him rotten," Alex says, and Gabe groans. "Hey, Nate loves it," Alex goes on. "He wouldn't now what to do with himself if you weren't around." Gabe groans. "I don't mean to" He says and Alex snorts. "Yeah? Well, maybe try and let him do more things by himself. He is like 15 now" Alex says and Gabe sighs. "Yeah, you're right" "I'm always right," Alex says smugly and sits back in his chair. "You fucking wish" Gabe says.


	13. 13

I feel like we can talk about months later when Gabe and Alex have been pushing Nate to make friends at school. 

Yes like Nate doesn't talk at school or interact with the other kids and one of his teachers worries about him and has maybe contacted Gabe.

aww yeah like Nate does surprisingly well in school considering how behind he started, but he likes learning all the new things he can so he does well, but he's so quiet that its worrying and the teacher warns Gabe that Nate might not be developing socially at all and it makes Gabe and Alex start to push him to talk to other people.

yes! and Nate doesn't know how to talk to other people and when his classmates talk to him he usually doesn't respond because he gets all panicked but there's this one guy (I can't think of a name right now) who sees how quiet Nate is and kinda takes on this pushy, controlling role like he kinda orders Nate around and manipulates him into doing what this guy wants and Nate's sweet and also naive and he does want to fit in and he's never had a friend his own age so he doesn't realize that this is low-key happening.

yes! I was thinking like Steve or Justin or something for the name and Nate just kinda goes along with whatever he says and like let's him copy his homework and stuff because 'friends help each other out' and I don't know if Nate mentions him to Gabe and Alex or not?

I dont know I think maybe he mentions Justin but but like he doesn't explain the things Justin does because he doesn't understand Justin is manipulating him when he makes Nate 'trade' things from his lunch or gives Nate backhanded compliments and so at first Gabe and Alex are encouraged by Justin but then maybe Justin starts to become bolder and like there's a couple times Nate comes home hungry or with homework that isn't his because Justin took most/all of his lunch and told Nate to do his homework because he needs help and Nate doesn't exactly hide it, but he keeps quiet about it and Gabe kind of suspects something is going on and he has this dislike for Justin but Alex tell him he's being ridiculous and overprotective so Gabe asks Nate if he wants to invite Justin over, maybe to spend the night?

ooh yes and Gabe does it so he can spy on them, but Justin is on his best behavior and nice to Nate and Gabe concedes that the Justin kid is alright, even if he's a little bossy, so he lets them go hang out in Nate's room after dinner without question and Justin figures out that Nate doesn't have any /actual/ parents coming home so he kind of drops the nice act and the only reason Gabe lets them go hang out alone in Nate's room is that he starts to feel guilty for being so judgmental and like Justin asks Nate about his parents and Nate just kinda looks at him and Justin's like "Don't you live with your parents?" and Nate's like "I live with Gabe and Alex" and then Justin stops being nice because he's alone with Nate and Alex and Gabe don't really pose a threat in his world and maybe he makes an offhanded homophobic comment about Alex and Gabe. 

yes I was kind of thinking that too like Justin's just like, "So you live with a couple of /gay/ guys? Dude that's fucking weird" and Nate is just confused and a little angry because he loves living with Gabe and Alex and he gets a little defensive. "No, it's not" Nate says quietly and Justin snorts, "Why are you getting so defensive? Wait, do they fuck you too?" He asks, a look of disgust on his face. "N-no," Nate tries to say, but Justin just talks over him. "They do fuck you, and you like it. You're a fucking faggot, just like the two you live with." He gets up off the bed, and points an accusatory finger at Nate. "You wanna fuck me? Did you invite me over here so all of you could fuck me?" Nate shakes his head violently. "No! I promise" He says but Justin doesn't listen. "Bullshit. That was your plan all along wasn't it, you gross freak." He spits out, "I was nice to you and all you want to do is touch my cock, fucking faggot."

"No, please!" Nate says desperately. Justin takes a step closer to him. "You wanna make it up to me, fag?" Nate nods, on the verge of tears. Justin's face breaks into a twisted smile. "Of course you do." He turns and shuts Nate's door, locking it carefully. Nate starts to tremble. He doesn't want to be shut in here with Justin. Justin turns back to him. "I think, since you were gonna touch my cock, I get to touch yours." Just got a second, Nate's confused, because he doesn't have a dick for Justin to touch, but then Justin's coming closer and Nate's brain whites out. He scrambles backwards across his bed until his back is against the wall. "Oh come on," Justin says. "I know you like it. You want me to touch your cock." "No!" Nate says but Justin climbs back on the bed. "Stop being a little bitch. I know you want it" Justin says, grabbing Nate's ankle and pinning it to the bed so he can lean across him. "Stop!" Nate says, trembling with teary eyes, but Justin ignores him. He reaches over to palm over Nate's groin, but as soon as Nate feels the pressure of Justin's hand he screams and tries to kick him.

Justin jerks back and gets his knee on Nate's other leg to hold him down. He tries to shut Nate up, fingers jamming into Nate's mouth and Nate tries to bite down on them reflexively. "Stop it, you little freak!" Justin hisses. Nate tries to slide out from under him, but Justin's everywhere, heavy and oppressive and Nate's trapped. Suddenly, Nate's doorknob is jiggling and there's heavy pounding on the door. "Hey! What's going on in there? Unlock the door!" Gabe's voice booms from the other side of the door and Justin freezes, giving Nate a deadly look before he glances back at the door. Nate twists violently under him to get Justin's hand off of his mouth. "Gabe!" He cries. "Nate!" Gabe shouts back. Justin clamps his hand down over Nate's mouth again, but it's too late. There's a bang against the door so loud it makes the room shake, and wood splinter. A second bang and the door crashes open. Justin flies off of Nate and scrambles off the bed, but Gabe broke down the door in time to see him moving off of the omega. Gabe's vision goes red. A snarl rips from his throat and he's across the room in an instant. He gets Justin in a headlock. "What the fuck?! I'll rip your hands off! I'll kill you!" Nate huddles on the bed as Gabe screams and he remembers what Gabe did to the guard in the lab when he was in rut. Alex comes running into the room, quickly taking in the scene. "Gabe! What the fuck?!" He shouts, trying to piece together what happened with Nate a shaking mess on the bed and Gabe physically restraining a sixteen year old. "I'm going to kill him!" Gabe shouts again. Justin's jaw hangs open in terror and he fixes on Alex like he's his savior. "I-I didn't-" He stutters and Gabe shakes him. "Keep your mouth shut or I'll literally rip your tongue out of your skull!" Nate whimpers on the bed. "Gabe!" Alex shouts and Gabe looks at him, nearly shaking with rage. "This fucker was on top of Nate on the bed and Nate was screaming!" Gabe spits out and Alex's expression changes into something cold and dark. Nate lets out a choked whine and Alex decides to focus on him. "Are you okay, Natey?" He asks and Nate looks fearfully at Gabe and Justin. "Just want him to leave." He says miserably. "Take him out of here," Alex says shortly, jerking his head towards Justin. "I don't care where you take him, but for Nate's sake, don't kill him. You'll be arrested." Gabe grows but then glances at Nate, who's looking, not only at Justin in fear, but him as well and it startles some of the pure rage out of him. "Fine" He growls and drags Justin out of the room. Alex kneels down next to the bed. "What happened with Justin? Did he touch you?" He asks softly. Nate blinks tears away and nods. Alex pushes down the surge of anger that bubbles up inside of him even as a growl rumbles from his chest. He reaches up to push Nate's bangs back from his forehead. "I'm so sorry" He says, his heart breaking as Nate leans into the touch, "Did he hurt you anywhere?" Alex asks and Nate sniffles and shakes his head. "It's really important that you tell me if he did," Alex says seriously. Nate shakes his head again. "He said things, and I couldn't get away," Nate whispers. Alex strokes his hair. "What did he say, buddy? Can you tell me?" "K-Kept saying I was a faggot who wanted to touch his c-cock. Then he said he wanted to touch mine." Nate says, tearing up again and Alex swallows hard, blinking back his own tears. He wraps Nate in a hug. "I'm so sorry, Nate. I'm so sorry" He says and Nate hugs him back tightly. "Did he touch you down there?" Alex asks softly after a few minutes. Nate sniffles. "He tried. I kicked him" He says quietly. "Good job," Alex says grimly, and Nate gives a tiny tearful laugh. Alex rubs Nate's back. "I mean it. You did the right thing, screaming and kicking him. What he did was disgusting, and wrong, and Gabe is probably burying his body in the yard." Nate sniffs. "He says you and Gabe fuck me," he offers after a minute. Alex blinks. Guilt starts to seep into his stomach, knowing that he and Gabe might have been the catalyst of all this. "Well, that kid has some fucked up delusions, doesn't he?" He says and Nate stares at him. "Why would he think that?" He asks, searching Alex's face. Alex sighs. "I don't know, Natey" He says defeatedly. "You do," Nate says persistently, and Alex sighs again. He tightens his grip on Nate. "There's some people who think that boys liking other boys is bad," Alex says. "And there's this idea that gay people like to have sex with children, and it's not true, and people say it to be disgusting, and horrible." Nate is silent, processing this, and Alex hugs him tighter, rocking him a little. "Alex?" Nate says quietly after a while and Alex hums, "What's a faggot?" He asks and Alex sighs. "It's a horrible word used to insult gay people" He says. "A slur?" Nate asks, and Alex nods. "Yeah, that's exactly what it is." Nate shifts in his arms, looking up at Alex. "Am I gay?" He asks, and Alex blinks. "Um, I don't know. Only you would know that, Nate. Why do you ask?" Nate squirms. "Justin said I-I like it when boys touch me and I-I had a d-dream..." He trails off, looking absolutely miserable, and Alex wishes in a moment of white hot fury that Gabe really is outside burying Justin's body. "Well, /Justin/ has no idea what you like or don't like, so don't waste any more thoughts on him" Alex says tightly, before he consciously un-tenses and strokes his fingers through Nate's hair. "But, if you do like boys, there's nothing wrong with that, Buddy. Whether you like boys or girls or whoever, me and Gabe will support you and love you, okay?" Nate nods against Alex's shoulder and goes quiet again. Alex plays with his hair until Nate lifts his head again. "Where's Gabe?" He asks. "Dealing with Justin" Alex says and Nate tenses. "Gabe looked scary" He says quietly. Alex hums. "He was scared and angry that you were getting hurt. I was too. I still am." Alex tells him, "And you were getting hurt. That's kind of been our biggest fear ever since Gabe got you out of that lab" He continues. Nate's eyes fill with tears again. "Didn't mean to," he whimpers. Alex's eyes widen. "No, no, it's not your fault. Of course you didn't mean to get hurt. You didn't do anything wrong, I promise. Justin hurt you, and that's his fault, not yours." Nate nods, sniffling, and Alex tries to give him a smile. "We just want you to be happy and safe." He says. I don't know what Gabe does with Justin tbh but I feel like Nate doesn't want it to blow up into a big thing so they just pull Nate from that school and put him in a different one but like also Gabe blames himself because he /knew/ Justin was bad news and he denied his instincts and like for a week afterwards Gabe won't let Nate out of his sight but also Nate's clinging pretty close and maybe ends up sleeping in Gabe's bed again for awhile. I feel like he just scares Justin pretty bad and they end up telling his parents what happened and yeah they just pull Nate out of that school and yeah I was thinking maybe Nate doesn't like being in his room alone for a while so he starts to climb back into bed with Gabe, who's fine with it because the whole thing really freaked him out. I feel like the new School is a better fit for Nate though. I agree, like it's further from where they live but Nate takes to it right away and starts to make a couple of real, good friends and the whole thing has more or less blown over after six months but Gabe still low-key blames himself for it and yeah I don't know I don't really have anything else for this.


	14. 14

I think the dream Nate had that he told Alex about was about Gabe. 

yes I 100% agree about the dream and I think Nate starts to get really confused and frustrated because he thinks he might be attracted to Gabe, but it's /Gabe/ and he doesn't really know how to handle it and maybe that's when he starts to act out and get his nose pierced. 

yes omg that's great because he's kinda like "I'm not attracted to Gabe, Gabe's like my adopted parent" (I feel like he kinda somewhat thinks of Gabe as a mother figure) but he's also always had a crush on Gabe and now he's getting older and his feelings aren't going away, they're just evolving from a hero-worship little kid crush to an actual, serious thing but it fucks Nate up kind of a lot and he starts to push Gabe away because he has no idea what to do and like he goes to spend the night at one of his friend's houses one weekend and he comes back with a shiny new nose piercing and Alex sees him first and is like "Dude, Gabe is gonna flip his shit." (at one point I was thinking about working in a thing with Nate calling Gabe mommy in here but I don't think it fits)

(the mommy thing would fit when Nate first starts sleeping in the same bed as Gabe like back when he's barely 13 so we can come back to that lol) and Nate shrugs and is like "So? It's my body, I can get a piercing if I want to" and Alex is like "Woah, back up the teen angst dude, I was just giving you some warning." He says, reaching up to tug on Nate's hair lightly. Nate rolls his eyes and fights off a smile. Alex always makes him feel like he's Alex's rambunctious little brother.

(Aww yes that would be so cute when he's 13 and hardly talks and Gabe babies him the most) "As long as that's the only thing you got pierced," Alex ass, eyes dropping lower and Nate flushes a little despite himself. "I'm not letting some random stranger pierce my junk," he says, and Alex raises an eyebrow. "I meant your belly button, weirdo, but good to know." Nate snorts. "Shut up" He says as he pours his bowl of cereal and Alex sticks his tongue out at him. Nate is safe for a few moments before Gabe enters the kitchen and pours himself a cup of coffee while he yawns. Alex gives Nate a pointed look and Nate just shakes his head a little, focusing on his cereal as Gabe sits down at the table. He can feel Gabe's stare, but he waits as long as he can before he looks up. "What?" Nate asks. "You've got something in your nose," Gabe says, entirely neutral. Nate resists the urge to touch the tender piercing and keeps eye contact with Gabe. "Oh, really?" He says, faking nonchalance. Gabe's eyes spark and Nate's stomach flips. "And that is my cue to leave" Alex says, standing up and taking his coffee with him as he walks out of the kitchen. Gabe doesn't stop staring at Nate. "You know, when you said you were staying the night at Brendon's, I didn't realize it meant you were going to be poking a hole through your nose." Gabe says evenly and Nate swallows hard. "Brendon knows a guy" He says. "I thought you hated needles," Gabe counters, and that's hardly fair because Nate cried before they even pierced him and Brendon and Butcher has to hold his hands the whole time. "I'm not a little kid anymore," Nate says evasively. Gabe gives him a long, hard look before he sighs. "Is this /guy/ that Brendon knows reliable? It's not gonna get infected right?" Gabe asks. "It's a legit place," Nate says, suspicious. Gabe takes a sip of coffee and shakes his head a little. "Well, as long as you take care of it then," he says, and his voice is a little off but Nate can't place the tone. He shrugs. "I will," he says. Gabe nods at him and goes back to fixing his coffee up with milk and sugar. Nate stares at him unbelievingly. "That's it?" He asks, putting his hands on the table. "I go out, and I pierce my nose behind your back, and that's all you have to say?" Gabe barely looks up from his coffee. "It's your body, Nate. You're turning eighteen in two months, you can make your own decisions." Nate gapes at him and Gabe looks at him over the rim of his coffee mug. "Have you looked at applying to any colleges yet?" He asks before taking a sip and Nate lets out a tiny growl as he pushes his chair back from the table. "You don't make any sense!" He says. He storms off before Gabe can give him another infuriatingly calm response. Alex slinks back into the kitchen after a few moments. "You're not mad?" He asks, stopping short of the table. Gabe looks up from his coffee mug, lips parted in a silent snarl. "I could kill him," he growls. Alex frowns. "But you're not yelling because-" He trails off raising an eyebrow. Gabe sits back in his chair. "Because he's itching for a fight and I want to know why" He says and Alex nods. "I see. So you're playing the long game" He says. "I'm gonna win the long game" Gabe says, giving him a pointed look. "Sure you are," Alex says soothingly. Gabe's too far away to hit him, so he just glares instead. "Whose side are you on, anyway? I swear, he went from tiny and sweet to a basket of teen angst overnight." Alex rolls his eyes. "He's still tiny and sweet. Something about you just puts him in a sour mood lately." Alex watches Gabe visibly deflate. "I know" He says, pouting into his cup. "I don't know what I'm doing wrong! As soon as I walk into the room he's all attitude" Gabe whines. Alex comes closer and puts a hand on Gabe's shoulder. "You're not doing anything wrong. He's acting out about something; we just don't know what it is." He pauses. "You know, you keep bringing up college. Maybe he feels like you want him gone." Gabe makes a noise. "I tell him all the time that he should go to the school that's close!" He protests and Alex snorts. "Yeah, but he probably thinks you want that for money reasons, not to keep him close" He says and Gabe groans, slumping down on the table. "I miss little omega Nate who was cute and cuddly and wouldn't go out and get a nose ring for no reason" Alex gives him a knowing look. "You miss when he'd climb into your lap and scent you until he fell asleep and you'd have him all wrapped up like an infant." Gabe's cheeks pink. "I do not miss that," he says weakly. Alex gives him a look and is about to reply when Nate comes stomping back down the stairs. He brushes past Alex to pick up the bowl he left on the table and dumps it into the sink. Gabe scowls at the metal shining in his nose. Nate doesn't even look at him, just readjusts his backpack and heads to the front door. "Have a good day!" Alex calls when Gabe just keeps scowling into his coffee mug. Nate turns. "Thanks /Alex/," Nate says and then slips out the front door, letting it shut behind him. Gabe lets out a frustrated noise. "He's driving me crazy!" He says and Alex rolls his eyes. "Maybe is you stopped being such a weirdo and treat him like a normal person, he'd be nice to you again. He teases. "I'm not being weird!" Gabe bangs his hand down on the table. Alex closes his eyes and breathes out a long sigh before dropping into the chair next to Gabe's. "Gabe, you just need to sit down and talk to Nate," he says. (I have this sort of vague idea about Alex and Gabe throwing Nate a graduation party and Nate ends up drinking even though he's underage and Gabe told him not to and Gabe finds out and he takes Nate into the house for a lecture/serious talk about what's going on with Nate and Nate tries to kiss him) "He doesn't wanna talk to me" Gabe complains and Alex smacks the back of his head. "Will you stop whining? You're just as bad as he is" Alex scolds and Gabe glares at him. Alex sighs. "Just fucking sit the kid down and talk to him, okay? A rational conversation, one adult to another" (and omfg yes that's perfect!!) He's not acting like an adult," Gabe says sullenly. Alex puts his head in his hands and groans. "And neither are you. One of you has to be the adult." (I'm just thinking that Gabe puts off talking to Nate because he's kind of worked himself into thinking that Nate just can't wait to get away from him so he involves himself in throwing like the best graduation party he can) Okay I don't really have anything else for the other scene but I totally agree with the graduation party and like Alex tells him to not get so worked up about it but Gabe's got it in his head that its like the last time he'll ever see Nate again and Alex tells Gabe he's being a drama queen because Nate's not moving to the other side of the country and in fact he's not moving out at all, he's just graduating, but Gabe doesn't listen because he has this completely wild idea that because Nate's eighteen and pulling away from Gabe, he's going to just up and leave in the middle of the night and Gabe can't stop it and meanwhile Nate's starting to feel that this party is more of a sendoff party than a graduation party and it's making him feel even more withdrawn and snappy with Gabe because he feels like Gabe is not so subtly pushing him out. yes (and tbh I was kinda thinking Nate does move out and they only see him a couple times that year and when he moves back in during the summer, Gabe doesn't understand how the little baby omega he knew turned into this confident and attractive omega but idk if you had a plan in mind) but anyway when the day of the party comes everything is going to plan, but Gabe doesn't know that Nate and his friends have been sneaking shots the whole evening. (ooh that's good I didn't have a plan but yes I agree with that and I do have some feelings about when Nate moves out but I will save them for later) and yes like I think Gabe has alcohol at the party but no one is really monitoring it and when Gabe stops playing host for a moment to check in on Nate, Nate's obviously drunk. yes and I can see Nate sitting in the living room with some of his friends and they all look a little tipsy, but Nate looks /gone/ and he's hanging all over Butcher and laughing and Gabe cannot believe it. He marches over to their group and is like, "We need to talk. Outside. Right now." He says gruffly and pulls Nate up off the couch as Nate's friends 'oooh' at him. Nate gives them a sloppy grin and flips them off. Gabe growls under his breath and yanks Nate harder than he probably should, but Nate's been acting out for months and he's never done something so absolutely brazen. Some of Nate's upstairs, and Nate stumbles along behind him. "You're such a hardass," Nate slurs. Gabe ignores him and drags him up the rest of the stairs, herding him into his room. Nate stumbles a little as Gabe shuts the door behind them, laughing as he grabs onto Gabe's shirt for balance. Gabe growls and grabs Nate by the shoulders, partly to get him balanced, but mostly because he wants to shake some sense into him. "What the fuck are you doing?" Gabe asks, looking into Nate's unfocused, pupil-blown eyes. "I was trying to have fun," Nate mumbles. He sways into Gabe's touch. Gabe shakes him once, because he doesn't need Nate to puke on him. "You're drunk, Nate. You're eighteen, and you're so fucking drunk you can't even walk straight. What is going on with you?" Nate frowns at him. "Like you care" He mutters and Gabe's stomach flips with anger and fear. He takes a deep breath. "I do care, Natey. I care so much" Gabe says, softer, "Can't you tell me what's going on?" "It's stupid. I'm stupid," Nate says. Gabe tightens his grip on Nate's shoulders. "Don't say that. You're not stupid. Nothing you ever worry about is stupid to me." He brings a hand up, twisting the curled ends of Nate's hair around his fingers. "Whatever it is, I'm here for you." Nate looks a him with an expression Gabe can't place. Gabe's tongue darts out to wet his lips. "Natey?" He says softly and he misses the way Nate's gaze drops to his mouth before he looks Gabe in the eye again, his breathing going a little funny. Before Gabe can blink Nate is surging forward, kissing the corner of Gabe's mouth. It's over fast, Nate pulling back before Gabe's brain has caught up. His hands have gone slack, both hanging on Nate's shoulders. Nate's face is open for the first time in months, eyes soft and dark in a way that makes Gabe's chest ache even as he stares in shock. "Natey-I-what?" He stutters. okay so part of me wants them to have a serious conversation and part of me wants Nate to run into the bathroom and puke, leaving Gabe shocked and confused for a second before he pushes what just happened away and focuses on making sure Nate is okay?? I was kinda thinking the second one and like Gabe's not angry anymore because he's preoccupied and he helps Nate get ready for bed and then tucks him in and it's almost easy to pretend Nate's thirteen again and in about twenty minutes he's going to climb into bed with Gabe and snuggle and scent until he falls asleep but thirteen year old Nate didn't have a ring in his nose or smell like a bar or freeze Gabe out for months on end, and Gabe's mouth almost burns where Nate kissed him and he doesn't know what to do. In the morning, Nate pretends not to remember what happened the night before and that's about when he decides to move out because he's ashamed and embarrassed. Maybe Gabe carries the secret of the kiss around for a long time before Travie gets it out of him. Idk why I just feel like it's Travie and I don't know if Gabe tells him fairly soon or like after Nate comes back the next year.

yes yes yes to all of that! I feel like maybe he tells Travie a few months after Nate moves out and is busy with college and Gabe and Alex have Travie over but Alex goes to bed and Gabe gets drunk because he misses Nate and he starts complaining about it to Travie and it just slips out. 

ooh yes like it turns our Gabe gets along way better with Travie without Nate there but Gabe's low-key been a mess since Nate left and Travie wants to get to the bottom of it and Gabe's totally drunk off his ass rambling about how he did something horrible to make Nate hate him but he doesn't know what and then he sorta stops and looks at Travie and just says "but he kissed me" and Travie's leaning forward and going "What?" 

"I was yelling at him at his graduation party because the little shithead was drinking" Gabe slurs, "And then I stopped yelling. And then he kissed me!" Gabe exclaims, frowning to himself before he points to Travie. "And then he puked." Gabe says and Travie just stares at him, dumbfounded, and Gabe groans, covering his face with his hands. "I should not have told you that!" Travie's eyes narrow. "What do you mean by 'he kissed me'?" Gabe lifts his head. "He kissed me," he repeats. "It was like-" He slides down the couch with a huff, his knees bumping Travie's. "What?" Travie starts, before Gabe presses his lips to Travie's and despite the amount of alcohol Gabe's had, it's not sloppy at all. "Like that" Gabe says softly as he pulls back and Travie is so shocked, that he can't even move. Gabe hums, looking at Travie lazily before he leans in to kiss him again. Travie lets him, even tilting his head down to meet Gabe. The alcohol buzzes warmly in Gabe's stomach. They kiss for a few moments before Travie manages enough presence of mind to grab Gabe's shoulder, holding him back. Gabe blinks at him, gaze unfocused. "Why are you doing this?" Travie asks quietly. 

Gabe frowns. "It feels nice" He says and leans back in again but Travie stops him with a hand on his chest. "Well, as nice as it feels now, I don't think you'll like it in the morning" "You're so-" Gabe starts, but Travie cuts him off. "You've been a mess since Nate left, and I might have had a couple drinks, but I know you don't want this." Gabe pouts but sits back. "Don't wanna think about Nate" He says petulantly. "You just spent the last twenty minutes talking about how you made him hate you," Travie points out. Gabe scowls and flops back against the other arm of the couch. "That's why I don't wanna think about him. He hates me and he moved out because he hates me." Travie's quiet for a minute. "Do you think, maybe, Nate moved out because he likes you?" He asks finally. 

Gabe stares at him. "What are you talking about?" He asks and Travie shrugs. "Well, he kissed you, right? That's not exactly hate. Maybe he likes you and is scared you'll hate him because of it" Gabe squints. "He doesn't like me like that," he says slowly. Travie looks at him for a long moment. "You know Nate's had a crush on you since you got him out of that lab," he says. Gabe splutters. "That's like-hero worship or whatever! He doesn't /like/ me" Travie presses his lips into a thin line. "Gabe, you've been saying that party line for /years/ now." Gabe's eyes narrow even further. "You sound like Alex. Did he tell you to say this stuff?" Travie snorts. "No, Gabe. Alex didn't tell me to say anything." He says, "And I think you know that Nate has viewed you as his Alpha for a long time." "He doesn't even know what that means!" Gabe says. Travie just shakes his head, reaching over and squeezing Gabe's shoulder. "Doesn't matter whether he knows all the implications of it or not, because it's true." 

Gabe frowns. "But-But he couldn't even stand being in the same room as me. He was always angry with me!" Gabe protests and Travie just raises an eyebrow. "Yeah, sexual frustration can have a powerful effect on mood" He says. Gabe splutters. "He wasn't sexually frustrated!" He tips his head into the back of the couch and groans. Travie's hand settles on his shoulder. "Let's get you into bed," he says. "I think you've had enough for one night." "Travie, he wasn't! Right?" Gabe continues, sounding like a little kid and Travie sighs. "Come on, time for bed, Gabe" He says and helps Gabe up off the couch. He walks Gabe up the stairs, Gabe complaining the whole time. "You don't even know! He liked you!" Gabe drunkenly waves his hand as Travie pushes him through the doorway into his bedroom. 

"Sure" Travie says easily, "Sit" He says and Gabe frowns as he's pushed onto his bed. "He did! He wrote his name on you" Gabe says, trying to stand back up again, and Travie huffs and shoves him back down. "Gabe, I don't know what the fuck you're talking about, but I promise, Nate has only ever had eyes for you" He says. Gabe takes a moment to think about this. Travie uses the opportunity to spread the comforter over him. "You're not his dad, Gabe. You don't have to beat yourself up so hard about this," he says. "But it's /Nate/." Gabe says quietly and Travie claps him on the shoulder. "It's /because/ it's Nate, that you don't have to worry" Travie tells him. "It'll all work out in the end" 

I think after this Gabe starts to snuggle with how he feels about Nate, and at first he's so sure Travie is wrong about Nate liking him that way but he asks Alex about it and Alex laughs so hard, he almost cries and finally wheezes. "I didn't realize you didn't know" at Gabe's dumbfounded expression and pretty much everyone is like "yeah...he was definitely way into you"

yes! Gabe mentions it to Alex like "Travie thinks Nate has a crush on me, can you believe that?" and Alex is like "What do you mean?" and Gabe's like "He doesn't!" and Alex just loses it. and yes maybe Gabe starts to let himself think about what it would be like to have Nate as his actual omega, but all he can picture is the scared little teenager he helped save and it's just too weird so he starts to plan how to let Nate down easy, but then Nate moves back for the summer and it's /different/. 

yes yes exactly like Gabe has this whole plan that he's going to make sure Nate knows nothing is going to happen between them and he's so nervous that he makes Alex and Travie go help Nate pack up all his stuff and when they get home, Nate looks... different. He's still tiny, but he's filled out some, and he's got stubble and a tan, and even the infuriating nose ring looks incredible, Also I feel like Nate has a boyfriend at this point and they haven't been together long and it's Nate's first relationship but it all throws Gabe so off. 

yes! and I feel like Nate hugs Gabe tight when he sees him because they haven't seen each other for months and Gabe is kinda hesitant to hug him back, but then he can smell another Alpha (?) on Nate and it freaks him out. 

oooh yeah that's good like Gabe gave Nate a ton of lectures about making sure nobody knew he was an omega when he went to college but Nate totally sniffed out that the cute guy in one of his classes was an Alpha and Gabe can smell it on Nate and he stiffens up without meaning to and he wasn't really hugging Nate back that tightly in the first place and Nate just steps away and he won't look at Gabe and is like "Guess I'll unpack then" and Gabe instantly feels guilty because the last thing he wants is for Nate to think Gabe hates him and he's like "No, wait Natey! I'm sorry. You just-you smelled so different. It- surprised me" and Nate blushes and is like "Oh, I didn't realize-we've only been-dating, I guess, for a couple weeks. I didn't think you'd be able to tell" He mutters. 

Gabe's pretty sure even a Beta could smell the Alpha scent pouring off Nate but that's probably the wrong thing to say. "You're dating someone? Tell me about him," he says instead. Nate perks up and Gabe's stomach twists unpleasantly. "His name is Ryan and he's great. He was in my intro level philosophy class, which is like, the most boring thing ever but Ryan sat next to me and kept making snide comments under his breath about the professor." Gabe tries to muster up a smile when Alex appears, clapping Nate on the back. "Aww, my little Nate is finally gonna get some!" Alex teases, ruffling the omega's hair and Gabe tenses. Nate laughs and bats at Alex's hand. "No, really, it's great you found a boyfriend" Alex says seriously and Nate smiles wide. Alex shoots Gabe a look and Gabe clears his throat. "Yeah, it's great" He says, trying to keep his voice casual. Nate's smile drops. He puts a hand on Gabe's arm. "Ryan's a good guy, Gabe. He's not like-like Justin," he says quietly, and Gabe can't resist pulling Nate into a loose hug despite his emotional upheaval. "I trust you, Nate," he says. 

Nate stays tense in his arms for a few moments before he slowly relaxes into the hold and nods against Gabe's chest. Gabe almost feels like he's about to cry. It's been forever since he hugged Nate like this, even when he left for school it wasn't on the best terms. He pulls back slightly and clears his throat. "So are you ready to be back and relax for the summer?" and Nate lifts his head. "No! I need a job, Gabe" He laughs. (I've been thinking Nate works somewhere over the summer where he's outside almost the whole time like a lifeguard or lawn service or something and he always comes back dirty or sweaty with no shirt and it drives Gabe crazy)

I have low-key been thinking about lifeguard! Nate for months (not for this just like as a general image in my mind) and yes omg like the pool isn't very far from where they live and it's a really hot humid summer and Nate just comes home every day sweaty and half naked. Also though Gabe can't figure out why he's so upset that Nate has a boyfriend because it should have been a huge weight lifted off his shoulders because now he doesn't have to say anything to Nate at all but he actually really hates Ryan but Gabe's also making a huge effort to fix his relationship with Nate so he encourages Nate to invite Ryan over for dinner and they grill out and Alex makes regular burgers and veggie burgers and corn on the cob and it's like a casual backyard thing (and maybe it's like a Fourth of July party?? and there's other people there) and like later Ryan and Nate are smushed together on a lawn chair and Gabe's in a horrible mood. 

yes and when Nate comes home from work, he's always still damp and sweaty and half naked, but at least he smells like chlorine and not Ryan. And Yes! they invite a bunch of people over for 4th of July and after dinner, when they're all waiting for the fireworks to start, Nate and Ryan are on top of each other in one of the lawn chairs and Gabe nearly breaks a plate from throwing it in the sink so hard and Alex or Travie is like "What is up with you tonight?" and Gabe's like "Nothing at all is up with me tonight" and then he storms out of the kitchen and Alex looks through the sliding doors and sees Nate tilt his head up and kiss Ryan and he's like "Ah" and I don't think Nate's feelings for Gabe have gone away and while he does genuinely like Ryan he gets into the chair with Ryan for the most part because he knows Gabe is watching. 

yes! like I think him and Ryan both know it's not serious, but they're one of the only other like Alpha/Omega types in the school so they find comfort in each other and yes I keep thinking that Nate's entire goal of the summer is to try to get a rise out of Gabe/get Gabe to fuck him so he keeps teasing him and Nate's pretty much given up on Gabe actually liking him back and wanting a real relationship with him but he'd at least be happy with a jealous fuck even if they never talk again afterwards because Nate's pretty sure their relationship is ruined at this point anyway and yeah I agree, Ryan and Nate are pretty casual and they're more friends that make out than actual boyfriends but Gabe doesn't know that. 

yes!! and I keep thinking about how sometime super late at night they're all joking around and drinking and most people have left and Alex is pretty drunk and him and Gabe get into an argument and Alex is like "Well, at least I never made out with Travie when I was drunk" and Gabe and Travie are both like "It wasn't even making out!" while Ryan is looking between the two and is like "That's kinda hot" to Nate but Nate just gets really quiet and sullen and Ryan nudges him and goes "Nate?" and Nate's just glaring at Gabe because apparently Gabe can make out with /Travie/ while he's drunk but he can barely look Nate in the face half the time and he excuses himself from the room. (I don't really have any ideas how the tension breaks though.)

I was thinking that Gabe is too wrapped up in his own bad mood and trying to get Alex to go to bed that he doesn't notice Nate's sudden mood drop. Ryan finds him after a little to say his ride is there (because he got kinda tipsy) and Nate walks him to the door and kisses him goodbye and then wanders into the kitchen and comes face to face with Travie and Nate doesn't really know what to feel anymore because Travie's like a big brother to him but he can't stomach the idea of him and Gabe together. And Travie just gives him a warm smile and is like "Hey, little man, long time no see" and Nate can't help but smile at the nickname and is like"I'm not thirteen anymore, you can't call me that" He says and Travie gives him a look. "But you're still little!" He says, laughing, and sobers when Nate only gives him a half hearted smile. "Hey, you know nothings going on between me and Gabe, right?" Travie says. 

Nate looks up at him sharply. "It's not like I would care if there was," He says, trying to sound casual. Then he winces. "I mean, I'd be happy for you if you were, but you know. Whatever." Travie watches him closely for a long moment and Nate tries not to squirm, but he's starting to sweat under the scrutiny. "I'm just letting you know," Travie says finally. He leans back a little. "Gabe was wasted, and I'd had a few drinks myself and he kissed me, that's all." Nate swallows hard. "Why?" He asks, the word tumbling through his lips before he can stop it. Travie gives him a fond smile, like he's remembering something. "I think," Travie says, weighing his words carefully. "He was trying to take his mind off things" Nate tries to parse those words. Travie leans forward. "It was right after you'd left for school," he says and squeezes Nate's shoulder before he brushes past him and back into the living room where Nate can hear Gabe still trying to get a very loud and very drunk Alex upstairs. 

Nate's head is buzzing and, despite logic, hope starts to curl in his belly. He makes his way up the stairs slowly, feeling like he needs to lie down and just /think/ for a second, when Alex appears, slinging his arm around Nate's shoulders. "Buddy! Tell Gabe that he's a dirty liar and that I'm not the worst big brother ever." Alex slurs and Nate fights a laugh, even as Gabe makes his way towards them. "You're not exactly the best right now" Nate tells Alex. "Betrayal!" Alex cries, and hugs Nate closer. "I'm wounded!" Nate giggles despite himself, and Gabe tugs at Alex's other arm. "Come on, Suarez. Leave Nate alone; you've already traumatized him enough for tonight." "I've barely traumatized him!" Alex protests and Nate laughs and puts his arm around Alex's shoulder. "Come on, big bro, time for bed" He says, helping Gabe tug him into the bedroom. Alex groans. "You guys are no fun!" He says as he flops onto his bed. Nate helps Gabe get Alex situated and they leave, closing the door behind them. 

There's an awkward pause before Gabe clears his throat. "So, where's Ryan?" Nate's suddenly aware of how alone they are. They haven't been alone together since Nate moved home for the summer. "He, uh, his ride came a little while ago. He went home." "Oh" Gabe breathes out and Nate nods. Travie's words keep buzzing around in his head and he can't stop staring. Gabe feels like he's been pinned underneath a microscope, with Nate being so close and watching him so intensely, and suddenly it's hard to breathe. "We should probably go to sleep too" Gabe manages to get out, but he doesn't move. "Yeah," Nate says, and he doesn't move either. Truth be told, he's not exactly sure what Gabe said because he was too busy trying not to stare at Gabe's mouth. His mouth has gone dry. Nate wets his lips and Gabe's eyes flick down to his mouth. Gabe catches himself about to lean forward and he jolts backward, as if he's been shocked. "Right. Well, goodnight, Natey" He says hurriedly and nearly tips trying to get to his bedroom. Nate stares after him before he sags back against the wall with a sigh, unsure whether to be happy or upset.

I don't really know where else to go with that scene, but I feel like that could be the turning point of Nate really stepping up his game because now he /knows/ Gabe might see him as more than just a little kid. 

I agree like Nate didn't actually do anything so he's pretty certain Gabe can't be disgusted with him and it's the opposite, actually, and I really don't have any ideas for how they end up like having their first kiss but I do think it happens when other people are over and after it happens they're both like "we're never doing that again or talking about it" but then that night they end up on Gabe's bed making out all over again. 

yes! I love that! Are other people over and like see them or dare them to? or are they hidden away from everyone and it happens? 

They're hidden away from everyone else like hmm idk it's someone's birthday or honestly Gabe and Alex just like to have parties because that's just who they are but whatever either way there's a lot of people over and Gabe and Nate have been getting along pretty decently lately (I think this is at least a week or two after the almost kiss outside Alex's bedroom) as long as they aren't like alone for longer than four or five minutes together and yeah anyways they both go to get like more ice from the freezer or to check on something or some flimsy excuse we've created to get them alone in the same room together and somehow they end up kissing (idk I keep thinking about Gabe kind of pinning Nate up against the upright freezer without really meaning to) and it's not just a quick chaste peck it's like extended and goes on for a couple minutes and there's tongue. 

yes!! I am all about that! Like maybe they have a playful little race to the freezer to get the ice cream and Nate gets there first and takes it out and turns around to brag, but Gabe is /right there/ crowding into his space and the words die on his lips and Gabe doesn't mean to but Nate's right there and Gabe's been thinking about it for so long and neither of them are even sure who starts it but suddenly Gabe is leaning down and Nate's leaning up and they're kissing. And the kiss is rough and desperate, Gabe's hands cupping Nate's jaw as Nate's fingers get tangled in Gabe's hair, and Gabe is stepping forward until he has Nate pinned against the fridge, kissing him like he doesn't need air. 

Nate certainly doesn't need air. Kissing the corner of Gabe's mouth over a year ago is a pale imitation of the real thing, and Nate never plans to stop. Nate kisses him back hard, fingers tightening in Gabe's hair as he makes a little sound into the kiss. Gabe is thumbing over his jaw and it's so sweet in comparison to how he's kissing that it makes Nate's chest go tight. A loud laugh from the other room has them jolting apart, panting hard. 

Nate gradually becomes aware of the tub of ice cream he has pressed against his belly, the cold radiating through him. Gabe won't look at him, and Nate shifts the ice cream away from his body but he doesn't feel any warmer. "I shouldn't have-we can't," Gabe says, low. Nate stands still. They can't /not./ He can't go another day without kissing Gabe. His palms itch to reach out and slide up Gabe's arms, back into his hair. "Gabe-" Nate says softly and Gabe winces. They /can't/. "I'm sorry" Gabe whispers.

Gabe hurries out, nearly colliding with William. "What's taking so long?" William trails off. Nate's still frozen, back against the freezer. "Hey, you okay?" William asks softly. Nate's head jerks in a mechanical nod. "Fine," he hears himself say. Nate is in a daze the rest of the night. He feels like he's underwater, everything muffled and moving slower than it should be. He almost thinks he imagined the kiss, except for the face that Gabe won't look at him. Ryan sits next to him and puts his arm around his shoulders, but Nate hardly feels it. "You okay?" Ryan asks. Nate gives a cursory nod, eyes fixed on Gabe. Gabe hasn't looked in his direction once. 

Nate is dimly aware that Ryan is talking but he's too focused on watching Gabe to pay attention. Ryan snorts and waves his hand in front of Nate's face, making him blink and look up at him. "Hi" Ryan says, smiling at him "I was asking you if you wanted to come back to my place tonight?" "Um," Nate says, his gaze sliding over to Gabe again. Gabe's probably not going to talk to him at all and it's just going to be awkward until Nate goes back to school and fooling around with Ryan might take his mind off things. But then Nate thinks about Ryan's hands on him, kissing him, and then suddenly the Ryan in his mind morphs into Gabe and Nate blinks, shaking his head. "I-I can't," he says. 

"Are you sure?" Ryan asks, nuzzling Nate's neck. Nate flinches away from the touch. "I don't feel good," he says hastily when Ryan gives him a hurt look. Ryan's expression changes to concern. "You've been pretty quiet tonight," he says. "I-I think I'm getting sick" Nate mutters and Ryan looks at him sympathetically. "You can go lie down if you want, it's getting kind of late anyways" Nate tries to smile at him. "Yeah, maybe I will," he says. Ryan starts to lean in and then sits back. "I-uh, if you're sick," he says apologetically, and Nate nods. "No, I get it," he says. Ryan gives him a slightly awkward hug. "I'm gonna head out then. Text me." 

"I will" Nate says and Ryan leaves. Nate stays downstairs for a little while, but Gabe still acts like he doesn't exist, so Nate gets up with a huff and goes upstairs to his room. He's just changed into his pajamas when he hears footsteps coming upstairs, and he knows it's Gabe, because he's had Gabe's footsteps memorized for years, a product of laying awake and waiting for Gabe to go to bed so Nate could climb in with him. 

He can hear Gabe pauses outside his door before he continues on to his room and Nate feels a rush of anger. He throws his door open and stalks down the hallway until he gets to Gabe's room. Gabe hasn't really had time to do more than close the door and he jumps when Nate throws it open again. "Why did you do that?" Nate demands. Gabe stares, mouth hanging open like he doesn't even know what Nate's talking about. Nate chokes on his own anger. "You can't just-you don't even-I've wanted you for so long-" Gabe kisses him hard, and Nate stumbles back into the wall but it doesn't matter because Gabe's got a hand cradling the back of Nate's head. 

Nate makes a desperate sound into Gabe's mouth and it makes heat unfurl in Gabe's belly. He presses Nate against the wall harder, wanting to be closer to the omega. Nate's kissing back hard, up on his toes with his arms wrapped around Gabe's neck, trying to get him closer. All of his anger has ebbed away and his whole brain is fizzing with the taste and smell of Gabe. Gabe's thumb runs along Nate's jaw and then brushes the side of his neck, and Nate suddenly goes pliant for him. Gabe's chest rumbles. Nate's lips part under his and Gabe growls before he kisses him, deep and wet. 

He kisses Nate until he can't breathe anymore, and Nate whines when he pulls back slightly to get some air. Gabe chokes out a laugh. "Oh, Natey," he whispers against Nate's cheek, and then in a sharp, panicked voice, "/Nate/." He stumbles backwards. Nate feels it like a punch to his stomach. "Gabe" He says softly, taking a step forward, but Gabe backs away. "Nate, we /can't/!" He says and Nate's eyes start to fill with tears. "Why?!" He chokes out bitterly, "Please don't do this" He says miserably. "I'm sorry," Gabe says, and has to turn away from Nate's red lips and mussed hair and the tears threatening to spill down his cheeks. "I shouldn't have kissed you. I'm so sorry." 

"That's not fair, Gabe!" Nate says, tears falling onto his cheeks. He ignores them and steps around until he's in front of Gabe. "You don't get to just do that and then decides its not for you without giving me an explanation!" Gabe makes a pained noise. "You're-you're with Ryan," he says, looking down at his feet. Nate blinks. "I-Me and Ryan aren't even really a thing" He protests, but Gabe shakes his head. Nate blinks away fresh tears. "Gabe, I want you!" He says. Gabe groans and throws his hands up. "Okay, it's not about Ryan. It's about me and you, and I don't know what to do about-about you! Things have been weird between us for years!"

Nate looks at him like he's grown another head. "/This/ is why things have been weird" Nate says, gesturing between them. "I /knew/ you would react like this!" He says, frustrated. "No, you don't even know," Gabe says. He presses his face into his hands for a moment before dropping them and looking at Nate. "All those jokes Alex make about me being your Alpha, you don't even-you don't understand what that means. You don't know what you're trying to get into." "Stop treating me like I'm some little kid!" Nate groans, "I know about it. About all of it, okay?" Nate says, "I've spent so much time online and in the library and- fucking annoying the shit out of Ryan from asking so many questions" He says desperately, "So don't tell me that I don't know what I'm asking for!" 

"I-I can't," Gabe says despairingly. Nate's skin starts to itch. "Is this because of Travie?" he asks. Gabe blinks, thrown. "Uh, no. No. I don't like Travie that way at all." Nate wipes at his eyes. "Then why? Why can't we do this? I know what I'm asking, and I know why you want to kiss me." Gabe whirls on him. "Because, Nate! Because when I look at you, I think about you in that fucking lab, and I think about little you climbing into my lap and scenting because you were so afraid of the world and I was the only one who could make it better and all I wanted was to protect you but now I'm the one screwing you up instead!" 

Nate blinks rapidly, looking like he's been slapped, and his shoulders slump. He knew Gabe wouldn't get over the idea of pre-teen Nate. But still. It hurts. Nate swallows hard. "You're not screwing me up, or- I'm already so screwed up that this doesn't even register" He says and Gabe frowns. "Don't say that about yours-" He tries to say but Nate shakes his head. "but I'm not that little kid anymore." He says, trying to stand his ground, "And I know how you kissed me. That wasn't just some kiss" Gabe gives him a look of raw pain. "Of course it wasn't," he says, tears starting to well up in his own eyes. "I've been messed up ever since...well a long time, but especially since you kissed me at your graduation party. I had to reevaluate all my feelings about you. I just-I never want to hurt you."

Nate makes a little noise. "Then why are you right now?" He asks and Gabe sucks in a breath. "Natey" He says softly and Nate takes a deep breath, wiping at his eyes. "I want this with you. So just-tell me you want it with me too" Nate says, voice cracking near the end. Gabe makes an aborted movement towards Nate. "Natey, please," he whispers. Nate shakes his head. "No! You don't get to pull that. I want an answer." Gabe swallows hard. "I want it so bad," he says fiercely. "It's-it's all I think about, how much I miss you. How much I want you to curl up in bed with me or sit in my lap and get all...fucking under from my scent and I want to play with your hair and call you baby and sweetheart and Omega-" His voice breaks as tears start to fall down his face. 

"Natey, you don't understand how maddening it is for me to see you with someone else, how desperately I want to-to /bite/ you, I want to give you a fucking calming bite and I'm so in love with you it scares me because you're the most important person to me in the world and I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you and I'm scared I'll be the one to do something!" Nate stares at him for a while before he lets out a little, incredulous laugh. "You're not gonna hurt me, Gabe" He says. Gabe breathes heavily. "You don't-" he starts. Nate shakes his head. "You've always been there to love and support me, and that's what made me fall for you. You couldn't hurt me." 

"I could" Gabe insists and Nate shakes his head. "But you'd try so hard not to" He says, "That's worth the risk" Nate says, taking a step towards Gabe. Gabe doesn't move, so Nate dares another small step toward him, and then another, edging forward until they're almost touching, and Nate is forced to tilt his head back to maintain eye contact. Gabe looks down at him, and Nate can't hardly breathe. "Why do you want me?" Gabe whispers, low and intense, and Nate reaches up for him, needing to touch. "There's no one else," Nate whispers, fingers curling around Gabe's shoulders. He searches Gabe's face, but Gabe only meets him with desperation and confusion. 

"Gabe, you're my Alpha," Nate says, and Gabe's eyes widen. "Natey," he says, voice catching. His hands go gingerly to Nate's waist, a barely there pressure Nate feels intensely. "Please," Nate pleads. "You're my-you're my Gabe." Gabe's hands tighten their hold on Nate's waist and he searches Nate's eyes. They're shining and full of hope and Gabe /wants/ this so badly. He leans down slowly and captures Nate's lips in a kiss so soft and sweet that it makes Nate go up on his tippy toes. He kisses back harder than Gabe's kissing him, frustrated and searching for more, but Gabe calms him with a hand to his neck, thumb rubbing the place where a bite mark would be. 

Nate whimpers and melts against him. "Does that mean yes?" He breathes against Gabe's lips. "Please let it mean yes" "I could never say no to you," Gabe says softly. He hugs Nate tighter. "Tell me it's not wrong." Nate shakes his head, smiling wide. "It's not wrong." He says and kisses Gabe's chin. "It's so /so/ right" "Promise?" Gabe says, and Nate nods. "It's the most right thing I've ever felt." "Me too" Gabe whispers and Nate smiles sweetly at him before Gabe nuzzles the side of Nate's face, chest rumbling contentedly. Nate laughs. "Can we go back to kissing now?" Gabe hums and turns his head to meet Nate's lips. Nate sighs, melting into it and wrapping his arms tight around Gabe before Gabe pulls back. He presses their foreheads together. "I don't know if we should tell anyone about this yet," he says. 

Nate frowns. "Why?" He asks softly. "Because I don't know how people will take it," Gabe says, and gives Nate a pleading look. Nate's breath catches. "Are you ashamed to be with me?" He asks, hurt. Gabe shakes his head. "Of course not, Natey!" He says, "I just-People will think I'm taking advantage of you" He says. "You're not," Nate says insistently. Gabe kisses his cheek. "But people will think I am. I mean, everyone thinks that I look at you like a little brother or a son, and you're only nineteen, and I just don't know if telling people is the best idea." Nate pouts. "I want everyone to know" He admits quietly. Gabe strokes his jaw. "I know, but is that really the best idea? You're dating Ryan, and I just think it would be better if we waited. I'm not ready to tell people yet." 

"I keep telling you I'm not really dating him" Nate whines. "Yeah, but people think you are," Gabe says. "Please, Nate, I just want to be safe." Nate huffs. "Fine. I'm gonna end things between me and Ryan though" He says, pressing closer to Gabe, "I only want you" Gabe laughs a little. "If you said you wanted to keep dating Ryan, I might actually kill you." Nate laughs. "What? You don't want me to date him as a cover?" He teases and Gabe growls, pulling Nate closer. "Fucking hell no," Gabe says. Nate grins. "Whatever you say, Alpha," he says innocently. Gabe groans, growling a little, as he leans into nuzzle Nate's neck. "You're gonna be the death of me" He says.

I don't really know where else to take this scene. 

Me either.


End file.
